


Rare

by imaginaryinspiration



Series: Looking into the eyes of a megalomaniac [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aura (Pokemon), Blood, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Kidnapping, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum Has Aura Powers, Trauma, i GUESS but its mostly just all hurt like almost 100 percent, mild descriptions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 46,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26207167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginaryinspiration/pseuds/imaginaryinspiration
Summary: Ash crashes into the Pokemon Center, alone, bleeding, and desperate. Pikachu's catatonic. He tries to ignore the fact that Hunter J is after him, that he just jumped out of a moving aircraft thousands of feet in the sky, that his friends have no idea where he is, that he barely knows.He can't let anyone know. He's not sure why, but the secret's pretty hard to hide when you're covered in blood and not the best liar.He shudders at the fact that she's after him, now. Not his Pokemon. Rare, she said. Aura.He wants to throw up.
Relationships: Satoshi | Ash Ketchum & Satoshi no Pikachu | Ash Ketchum's Pikachu
Series: Looking into the eyes of a megalomaniac [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009671
Comments: 101
Kudos: 273
Collections: Purrsonal Picks





	1. Desperate

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Mew Complex](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23599333) by [railou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/railou/pseuds/railou). 



> This is totally inspired by "The Mew Complex" by Railou and it's great and it just was so cool I had to write something about it. I have absolutely no idea how long this will be, but it will be more than one chapter. Hope y'all like it? I'm a little out of my comfort zone, usually I just write stuff that's like hurt/comfort.

The double doors of the Pokemon Center burst open and a boy stumbled down, landing a few more steps before crashing into the floor. With him he brought the chill of the midnight air. The Chansey on the midnight shift took one look at the bleeding boy, barely conscious, before letting out a distressed cry and running to go wake up Nurse Joy.

She burst into the room to see the sleeping woman. It took a few tries to actually wake her up, but once she saw the Pokemon’s worried face and urgent tone of voice, she knew something was wrong and sprung out of bed. “What is it? An injured Pokemon? Did that Raichu in critical condition wake up?”

A shake of the head before the Chansey was running back into the hallway, beckoning Nurse Joy to follow. As she ran, her mind raced with the hundreds of possibilities that could warrant waking her up at, looking at her watch, almost one in the morning.

She didn’t have long to wonder before she saw it. From the doors, there was a trail of blood on the floor, and following it with her eyes, it led her to a boy on the floor, fighting to stay awake. Holding a Pikachu, who was unconscious and looked to be catatonic. Open sores on its body and blood matting the once shiny and bright yellow fur.

The boy himself looked to be in a worse state. Blood oozing from what looked to be a nasty head injury and an arm mauled to the point she could see the off-white of bone. He had a black eye that was squeezed shut against the blood pouring over it. What looked to be once tan skin had taken an unhealthy shade of pale green. His clothes were tattered to the point beyond saving. He had only one shoe, and he was shivering.

He brought his eyes up to her with some effort when he heard a loud gasp and croaked out a weak and desperate “…help! Pikachu…”

With that, Nurse Joy sprung into action. Calling Chansey, she didn’t have to tell her what to do. She grabbed the Pikachu and hurried to take it into treatment. Meanwhile, Nurse Joy handled the boy. She gently pushed his hair back from his face to get a better look at his head injury. While still bleeding, it looked as if it was starting to scab over and the blood flow lessened. It had to have been a while ago, telling from how his hair had already started to dry and crust over with the blood.

She moved to look at his arm, trying very carefully not to disturb it. He looked like he’d lost a lot of blood from that particular wound. Three huge gashes and torn skin around it. It looked to be from a Pokemon’s claws or talons. A flying type? The bone was even more visible now that she looked closely. The other arm was in a similar state, though not as bad. What had happened?

She quickly got up and gathered some first aid to treat the boy right there on the floor. She didn’t have any stretchers for humans and she didn’t trust herself to be able to lift him without making his state worse. So she kneeled by him and got to work. Most urgently was his left arm. First, she needed to stop the bleeding. She worked furiously. Once she did so, she had to disinfect. At this, the boy seemed to wake him from his half-asleep stupor and winced. After a quick but sincere apology, she did her best to bandage it.

Then came his head. That was significantly easier, and before she knew it, the worst of his injuries had been patched up. She moved to drag him onto some of the couches, at least she could do that for him while she went in to go treat the Pikachu. Thinking, she quickly checked his belt. He had one other Pokemon with him, a Staravia. When she went to release this one, it looked tired, but not in the state the boy and his Pikachu had been. 

There was blood on its talons.

At the sight of its trainer, it panicked. “Please, Staravia, calm down! Your trainer is okay, for now. I need you to calm down so I can treat you and get this sorted out. Please work with me!”

At her words, it stilled. It was tense and looked over at its trainer, concerned but compliant. She took the Pokemon to one of the treatment rooms, did some basic checkups, determined it okay, and moved onto the Pikachu.

Chansey had patched up its wounds and got it stable. Nurse Joy went in and made sure it was alright, treating the Pikachu in some of the ways the Pokemon could not.

When everything was okay, her thoughts returned to the boy and she hurried out to him. She sat down next to him and gently tried to wake him. She had to make sure he was alright and thinking properly.

He blearily looked up at her and once she confirmed he was conscious, she asked “What is your name?”

“…Ash.”

“Okay, Ash, listen to me. You arrived, covered in blood and wounds, and holding an injured Pikachu. We have gotten it stable. Your Staravia is also alright.”

At his wary nod, she continued.

“What happened? How did you and your Pokemon get injured? Were you attacked?”

It took a couple seconds for her question to register, but when it did, his eyes widened, ever so slightly. It took a second for him to answer, before he said “…I ran into some wild Drapion. I-I ran out of Repel, and we’d just battled, so we were too tired to defend ourselves, and…”

She narrowed her eyes. There was a lack of confidence in his tone and he was avoiding her gaze. And there were no wild Drapion nearby. “Where did you get the wound on your arm? That looks like a bird’s talons, and there was blood on your Staravia’s.”

He tensed, eyes widening. “That was- I- my— We got surrounded by the Drapion and so the only option was for Staravia to try and fly us out of there. She was still weak, and tired, and couldn’t carry me, and she almost dropped me. That’s where she grabbed me.”

Nurse Joy could tell that he was not telling the whole truth. 

“…Ash, is there someone after you? You can tell me! I’m here to help!”

He pulled back, shocked. “No-no— no, no, its nothing like that! Not at all! Couldn’t be further!”

He was lying, she knew. But for now, it was more important that he get rest and recovery. She would keep him safe. They could deal with it later. So she nodded, seemingly accepting his answer, and he slumped back, relieved that she’d bought his tale. She tried, very hard, to conceal her worry at that, and instead supported him as he tried to walk.

“I don’t have money right now for a room, but I could just sleep in the lobby? Or I could pay you back? I’m so sorry!”

She was shocked. “No, of course, you can stay here free of charge!”

First, though, he needed to eat. He looked like he was going to keel over, and with all the blood he’d lost, he probably would. And it was safer than just going straight to sleep. So she brought him to one of the tables and set about making a fast soup.

When she came back out, a Pokemon Ranger got up from the table across from Ash, bid her goodnight, and headed back to his room. She tried not to question it much, not when she had a million other worries in her head. The boy looked even more wary, now, but he perked up at the food.

He managed to eat most of it, which was a good sign, and then he drooped back into the seat and she knew he needed to rest. She walked him to one of the empty rooms and set him up there. At her request, Chansey brought him some of Nurse Joy’s extra clothes. “Now, get to sleep!”

She left to go check on the Pokemon. Might as well, now that she was already up. And she doubted she could really get to sleep, after that.

After a couple minutes, she went to go check up on Ash again. Just to be sure if he was alright, if he needed anything. She knocked, and when there was no answer, she creaked the door open. He was already asleep on the bed. She breathed a sigh of relief, and went to go to her own bed.

-.-.-.-.-

Ash felt like collapsing. He felt like he was going to keel over, or he was going to drop Pikachu, or fall and not be able to get up. His arm was searing with white-hot pain and his head hurt with every haggard and desperate step he took, but he had to keep running. Had to get away. Had to get help.

Pikachu was in a bad state. He wasn’t waking up and he didn’t respond to anything. He was covered in blood (not that Ash was faring any better, but he ignored that for now). It felt so much like that first time he’d rushed Pikachu to the Pokemon Center years ago, after facing that flock of Spearow. Taking Misty’s bike, running, ignoring the pain in every single limb, how he felt much like now, too tired to keep running. But he had to. He had to then, and he had to, now, even more.

He was so glad he’d been here before, and he knew where the Pokemon Center was. It was too dark outside to read the street signs. He had no idea what time it was. He’d been awake for so long, running for so long. It’d still been light outside when he’d crashed down onto the ground. 

_Hunter J!_ Just like it’d happened, before, he fell out of her ship, again. Thank Arceus, Pikachu wasn’t stone anymore. He’d managed to escape and sneak into the hull and de-stonify him before he’d jumped out.And he’d been falling, clinging onto Pikachu, thinking he was going to die, because apparently Arceus had given up on him, because he felt like this time his death would be final.

But then he remembered he’d had Staravia, how could he forget? And he fumbled for the ball, releasing his bird, and before he could say anything (he couldn’t have, even if he’d tried. The wind stole his breath away, falling too fast.), the bird had seen his predicament and thought fast. But he’d been falling so fast. And just coming to a stop, the bird’s talons gripping into his upper arms, his momentum had almost made her let go. So she’d dug in harder, much harder, trying not to let herself be dragged down too. And he’d tried to hold in that cry of pain, but he couldn’t.

He tried to focus on the present, navigating to the Pokemon Center, but a new sort of fear added to his feelings about Hunter J. There’d always been that anger, but fear was new. She’d targeted _him. She’d come for him._ She’d tracked him down, vindictive, ready to kill him, it seemed, for all the times he’d foiled her. What he’d been surprised to hear, however, was that she did not plan to kill him. Sure, she wanted to, but she wouldn’t, because he was more valuable alive. She'd been rather _interested,_ when he’d used his aura to track down and save Riolu. Aura adepts weren’t very common, it seemed. Rare. Rare enough to fetch a price.

He shuddered. But, now he saw the lights of the Pokemon center, and he hurried, stumbling more with each step, black clouding his vision and closing in. _Just a little longer,_ and he’d be safe. His Pokemon would be okay. He cursed his blood loss. Why couldn’t he just stay _awake?_

He crashed through the doors of the Center, not even looking at the front desk. He crumpled to the floor and held Pikachu even tighter. He felt like….now he could fall asleep…no, no! Not yet! Not until he was _safe!_

But he couldn’t get up, couldn’t find the strength, so just laid there, waiting for Nurse Joy. A Chansey came over, he thinks. He couldn’t remember much. It all blurred together in the form of soft touches, stinging disinfectant, and tight bandaging. When he really came to, he was sitting up on a couch, supported by Nurse Joy. His wounds were bandaged and he felt considerably better. Pikachu wasn’t there! And, he could feel his belt was one Pokeball lighter. Where were they—?!

“….okay, Ash, listen to me. You arrived, covered in blood and wounds, and holding an injured Pikachu. We have gotten it stable. Your Staravia is also alright.”

He relaxed. They were _safe!_ They hadn’t been stolen, or kidnapped. They were okay. And being healed. He’d succeeded. When she asked what happened, how he’d gotten like this, his guard immediately went up. Even though it was Nurse Joy, she could not be trusted with the information. Not when she would get the police involved, worry about him, and…he didn’t know why he didn’t want that? Maybe because he was the one in danger, now, and he could handle it himself? He never was good at accepting help. And it just felt…wrong, to tell her. He didn’t want the story to get out. Somehow, Hunter J would be alerted to where he was.

But she was still staring at him, so he had to come up with a lie real quick. He wracked his brain. 

“…I ran into some wild Drapion. I-I ran out of Repel, and we’d just battled, so we were too tired to defend ourselves, and…”

It wasn’t a _complete lie._ He _was_ attacked by a Drapion, but it was only one. And he never carried around Repel, but it was the first thing he thought of. He’d have to go with it. He could tell she didn’t believe it. _Damn! Why couldn’t he lie better?_

When she asked about his wound, somehow the lie continued out of his mouth. He thanked Arceus that it wasn’t too unbelievable.

But, when she assumed. When she saw through it, and asked if someone was after him, he blanched. Oh _no._ That was exactly it, and he was speechless for a moment, floundering. He denied it, but he knew he couldn’t have been more unconvincing if he’d told her Swinub could fly.

When she brought him to a table and wanted to make him food, he was too weak to protest properly. He wanted to be alone, and go to sleep, and cry, or better yet, be with his friends, Dawn and Brock, laughing at some different Pokemon Center. He wished this had never happened.

He was just starting to let his guard down when he saw a young man, a Pokemon Ranger, come up to him. He was walking out, probably woken up by the commotion, and Ash noticed the second he zeroed in on Ash. He recognized him. How could he not? They’d only seen each other two weeks ago when he’d saved the Riolu from Hunter J.

Kellyn’s brows furrowed in concern while his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Ash. In his sorry state, Ash didn’t blame the man. He probably looked pretty pitiful.

“Ash! Is that you? Are you okay? What happened to you? Where are your friends?”

Oh man, Ash _really_ did not feel like lying to this man. He was so tired, and acting took so much energy, especially when he was this harrowed, and, he hated the word, traumatized. He couldn’t put on a convincing smile, not when his head and eye were still throbbing, when he still had dried blood crusted over his face, flaking off but still there. Not when he could barely even lift his left arm through the pain and his right was bound so tightly he could feel the circulation cut off. He couldn’t, not now.

So, he looked off to the side and didn’t say anything, not at first. Kellyn slid into the seat next to him and he could feel the concern radiating off of him. “Ash, please, look at me! I need to know what happened, if you’re okay!”

Welp, might as well stick with the Drapion lie. Hopefully, since he’d already had a little practice earlier with Nurse Joy, he could pull it off smoothly. 

At the way the man narrowed his eyes, Ash was pretty sure that was not what happened. He cocked an eyebrow. “Hmm, I didn’t know there were any Drapion herds around the city. Do you think you could tell me where? If they attacked you, they must be dangerous, and it’s _my job to deal with dangerous stuff_.” He said, with a gleam in his eyes, distrust evident in his facial features.

Ash took a deep breath. “Can we talk about this in the morning, _please?”_

Kellyn’s look softened. He looked so worried, but he relented. “Okay, Ash, I’ll let you get the rest you _so clearly need_ , but I’m holding you to that. You’re not okay. I need to know what happened, if you need help. You can trust me. You know me.”

When Ash avoided eye contact, he sighed, and stood up, and walked away. Nurse Joy brought him soup, and though it was slow, him not feeling hungry, too anxious and tired, trying not to fall asleep in the food, and barely being able to lift his arms, he finished most of it. And then Nurse Joy brought him clothes, and everything blended together again, and before he knew it, he was collapsing down on his mattress face first and asleep the second his head hit the pillow.


	2. The Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for that promised conversation (interrogation) with Kellyn! And when did Ash get so good at lying?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is dialogue heavy! Sorry! It won’t all be like this. This was just the chapter where there are a lot of conversations.

He woke up with a start, a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He felt gross. Covered in sweat, his arms throbbing, and a massive headache. Heart beating fast and breathing heavy. He’d been dreaming, but he’d already forgotten it.

…On second thought, he remembered. It was his memory of free falling out of the plane. Of Staravia digging her claws into his arms, and it’d hurt so much, and—! Looking down, he could see his left arm’s bandage was wet with not just sweat. Blood was staining the white of the fabric, and, although that might concern someone else, Ash just shrugged it off. What was more important right now was getting down, to check and on Pikachu! Was he okay?!

He didn’t have any other clothes to change into (his traveling clothes were beyond repair, and Ash suspected Nurse Joy had thrown them away) so he decided to go down to the lobby with the clothes he’d been given. His hand stilled on the doorknob, however. If he went downstairs, he’d have to talk to Kellyn. He’d promised a morning conversation (interrogation, his brain helpfully supplied) but he really didn’t want to follow through on that. Hopefully, he’d be able to miss him, or dodge him.

At first glance, it seemed that he’d gotten lucky. The Top Pokemon Ranger was nowhere in sight! He ran (well, tried to. It was more like a weak stumble) up to the front desk to see Nurse Joy.

“Oh, Ash, wonderful to see you! I trust you slept well? Do you want to go see your Pokemon?”

At his vigorous nod, she motioned for him to follow and brought him to where Pikachu had been moved out of critical care and was now resting. He ran to his side and hugged his best friend. “Pikachu! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

His partner seemed to wake at his voice, and once he realized who he was looking at, he tried to jump up and enthusiastically chirped “Pikapi!”

“Your Pikachu, I’m glad to tell you, is recovering wonderfully fast for the condition he was in last night! You can take him, right now, if you want to, while we go see your Staravia.”

The yellow mouse eagerly jumped onto Ash’s shoulder (somehow, choosing the less injured one without even hesitating) and they set off down the hall to go into the room with Pokeballs. His Staravia was called out and when she saw him, she chirped and rubbed her beak over his hair.

Only then did he realize that he’d lost his hat sometime during that fall, or maybe before. He’d been too preoccupied to notice, but now that he did, his head felt weird without that familiar comfort. He suddenly longed for it.

He recalled his Staravia again and headed out to the lobby, hoping to miss Kellyn. No such luck.

They made eye contact, Kellyn hanging around a little awkwardly. He’d clearly been waiting. When he saw Ash, his entire demeanor changed. He hurried over (trying to appear nonchalant) and stood next to Ash. “Hey, Ash, have you had breakfast yet? You look like you just woke up.”

At his tense shake of the head, he (gently, but still leaving no room for question) put his hand on the shoulder not occupied by Pikachu and lead Ash to the cafeteria. When they sat, Kellyn ordered waffles for both of them (“my treat”, he’d said, at Ash’s scared look. He didn’t have any money, he’d lost his bag.).

While they waited, he said “So. Tell me. It’s time for that explanation you promised. Talk.”

All his smiles and laughs were gone. He was serious. But Ash just looked over to the side. What was he supposed to say?

Kellyn sighed. “Come on, hey, look at me okay?” His voice softened. “I need you to know that you’re safe with me. You can trust me. I’m not going to hurt you, and if you’re in danger, I need to know so I can help you out. I can keep you safe.”

Shaky breath. In, and out. He got this. He tried, much more convincingly than last night. “I told you, I got attacked by some Drapion. I don’t know where Dawn and Brock are right now, they should be in Pastoria City. I left with Pikachu and Staravia to do some special training. I was trying to evolve her into Staraptor. We met a passing trainer calling for battle, and we won, but it tired us out. Then, we ran into some wild Drapion in the forest. They attacked us. We were outnumbered, and hurt, but we escaped and I got here.”

After all, he had gone out to go training with Staravia and Pikachu. He’d stupidly only carried those two with him, leaving the rest to spend time with his friends. He’d been ambushed on his way out. She’d found him and tracked him down. It…still really scared him.

“Ash, there’s no wild Drapion around here. You’re not telling the truth.”

“I am! It wasn’t around here! As you can tell by the fact that I got here in the middle of the night last night, we’d been running for hours! I was lost, and I didn’t know where the city was, so I just ran until I got here!”

“Ash! I’m not letting you get away with this! You’re lying! And your insistence to lie worries me more and more! Who attacked you? Someone’s after you! Someone did this to you. You’re hurt.”

Thankfully, Ash was saved from having to answer when their waffles came. They were silent, for a second, looking over their food. When Kellyn didn’t drop it, something came into Ash’s mind. Kellyn…had to know about Team Galactic, right?

So, he sighed, a great big sigh, acting skills kicking into gear. Very quietly, looking off to the side, he said. “…Okay. I…trust you. I wasn’t attacked by Drapion. I…do you know Team Galactic? They’re a group who steals Pokemon, but they’re worse than Team Rocket. They…have big plans. That I keep foiling. They’re mad, and they came after me. But…I should be okay now. They should’ve given up on me. They said I was too much work, so I think I’m safe now?”

He tried his best to put some of his fear of Hunter J into his acting here. It seemed to work! Kellyn’s face turned from exasperated to relieved, then worried, and then scared. “Team Galactic is after you! Ash! How do you get involved with all the major criminals? First Hunter J, and Team Rocket, and then Team Galactic?”

Ash tried to suppress a shudder at the mention of the woman. Oh, he had _no idea. Not a clue._ He had no idea about all the other major crime syndicates, about the real Team Rocket, and Team Aqua, and Magma, and not to mention the _legendaries._ And how many times he’d had to save the world. He’d _died._

Ash just shrugged. What was he supposed to say? “Ash, you need protection. We need to go after them, and protect you! We need to get you in contact with your friends!”

Ash shook his head no. “No! I don’t need protection. I’m fine on my own! Besides, they’ve given up on me. We should go after them, but you don’t need to protect me. It was my own fault for only bringing two Pokemon with me. From now on, I’ll always carry my full team. And I don’t want protection! I don’t want to be watched constantly, I want to travel and experience the world! I’ve always been fine and I’ve dealt with guys like these plenty of times. I’m _fine. Please,_ don’t try to overprotect me. I know it will only end up with me trying to get away.”

The young man across from him looked conflicted. He was _awfully convincing._ Almost like he’d done this before. But, he supposed Ash was right. Obviously, he needed help, and to recover from his injuries, and probably some counseling (seriously, how was this kid not traumatized? Or maybe he was, and just hid it really well). But Kellyn knew he could take care of himself. He’d survived a forest fire and falling out of Hunter J’s plane. (Even though Staraptor had saved him that time, but he had a Staravia.)

“Ash, you need protection now. You need help, at least. You need to stay here, and recover. And call your friends, let them know where you are and what happened. But, after you’re okay, I’ll let you go. I know you can handle yourself.”

Thank _Arceus._ Kellyn bought the lie, and was following through with it. Now, he didn’t have to tell them about Hunter J. He really didn’t want to think about her, and he didn’t want the story getting out. If she heard that a boy crashed into a Pokemon center, and was running from her, she’d be there in a second, guns charged and blazing, with a Hyper Beam that could hit him.

It’s what had incapacitated him the first time. Sure, he’d taken _plenty_ of hits before from a Hyper Beam, but he rarely could just jump up right after a point blank hit.

He’d been walking in the forest, chattering with Pikachu and enjoying the nice weather, when he’d felt the breeze pick up. It was ever so slight, at first, and he didn’t see anything. _Damn her invisible ship._ And so he’d kept on walking, a little more wary but not alert. And then all of a sudden, she was behind him! He’d turned around, barely in time to see her and hear “Salamence, Hyper Beam!” Before it crashed into him with such power that he felt so much pain and then just nothing.

He wouldn’t be using a Pokemon with that attack for a while, after this.

He walked over to the phones, asking for some privacy from Kellyn. There were some public ones out in the lobby, but at special request from Nurse Joy, she brought him to some of the booths. And he picked it up, and didn’t know what to dial. Asking the Nurse for the number for Pastoria City, she gave it to him, and waited on the other line while the Pastoria Nurse Joy tried to get in contact with Dawn and Brock. After a couple minute wait, a frantic Dawn and Brock appeared on the screen, heads squished together to both see him. “Ash, there you are! Pikachu! We’ve been so worried! What happened to you!? And your _eye!_ You’ve been hurt! Where are you, and why?”

Brock chimed in. “You’ve been missing since yesterday morning! You left, and when you didn’t come back, we started to worry! We haven’t heard anything until now! What happened?”

…He could tell them, right? Right? Right. “I, um, well.” His shoulders hunched, ever so slightly, but he winced with the movement. His arm hurt so much, but he tried to keep on a brave face for them. So he smiled (scarily convincingly), and said “I’m okay, guys. Really I am. I just had a brush with some _not so savory people._ Well, um. Hunter J. Sort of. Came here? I ran into her, and.”

He could feel himself starting a half-lie before he even realized it was happening. He was getting good at this. (And that would be concering, for anyone else. But this was _Ash.)_ “She was after this Leafeon” (where had _that_ come from?) “and you know me, I had to help save it. But she got it, and I snuck onto her ship, like before. I freed the Leafeon, but then she tried to drop me out of her ship again. But I only had Staravia to carry me, and Pikachu, and the Leafeon, and she couldn’t hold all that weight. So, that’s where I got hurt on my arm. I’m okay now, though! I’m in Veilstone City. The, uh, the Leafeon kind of kicked me in the eye, that’s how I got this” he shrugged, pointing to his eye. (He realized now that this might have been a better lie to tell Kellyn. This way, he wouldn’t think anyone was after Ash, he’d just think that Ash had gotten himself hurt with his stupid heroics again.)

Their reactions of worry and shock almost made him regret it. But, at least they weren’t worried she’d come after him again? (Which she most certainly would, he knew it.)

“Ash! Oh my Arceus! Thank goodness you’re okay! That’s so scary! Veilstone? We’re gonna get over there as soon as we can! Stay put!”

He nodded. He doubted Kellyn would let him leave, anyway, and he couldn’t really, anyway. He didn’t have any money. He’d lost his Pokedex, so he couldn’t use it to make any withdrawals from his account. Although…maybe he could call Professor Oak? There had to be something they could do in emergencies like these?

“Hey guys, I need to call Professor Oak. I lost my bag, and my Pokedex, and my money. So, take care of my Pokemon for me, will you?”

At their nods and goodbyes, he turned the screen off and dialed the lab’s phone. This, he knew by heart, from how many times he’d typed it in over the years. After a couple rings, Tracy picked up. “Oh Ash, good to see you and—Oh! What happened to you? Are you okay?

Geez, he must look really bad, if that was everyone’s reaction. “Can you get Professor Oak? I need to talk to him.”

“Of course!”

It wasn’t long before the Pokemon Professor himself came into view. “Ash, my boy, what is it? What’s happened to you? What do you need?”

When Ash told him vaguely that he’d gotten into a scuffle with some criminals, and he’d lost all his belongings, and his Pokedex, and money, the Professor sprang into action. He pulled up his file on Ash, gathering his trainer ID number, and information, and ordered for a new Pokedex to be sent to the Veilstone Pokemon Center for the trainer from Pallet.

“And once that arrives, which should only take a couple of hours at the longest, you should be able to go and withdraw some money. There, you can buy new clothes” Oh, right. He was still wearing the sweatshirt and sweats Nurse Joy had given to him. “And new supplies. I’ll tell your mother that—“

“Wait! Don’t tell her! She doesn’t need to worry, it’s over. Just, if she learns anything, tell her I’m completely fine.”

He raised his eyebrows, but found himself nodding anyway. Ash was a really presuasive boy, especially when he was trying to get people to stop worrying about him. (And wasn’t that even more alarming, in and of itself. How much practice had he had?…A lot. Professor Oak knew that Ash had been on many the adventure saving the world, and it was always easiest to pry out of him when he called right after it happened. Any longer and he’d clam up completely. That alone gave him enough grays. The stress of the actual danger he’d been in, well. There was a reason he looked so much older since Ash started his journey.)

So Ash ended the call after saying a goodbye, and he had a couple hours to kill before he could get the Pokedex, not to mention however long he’d have to stay here to wait for his friends and until he could rest.

Would he be allowed to go into the city? Reggie was here, and maybe he could visit?

But, on second thought, no. He was really tired of having to explain his injuries. Was there a Pokemon that could heal him? Chansey? She could probably use Soft Boiled, right?

With nothing better to do, he headed over to Nurse Joy. “Excuse me, I was wondering if your Chansey had any moves that could help with my injuries? I know you’re used to helping Pokemon, but I really don’t want to be incapacitated for longer than necessary.”

“Oh, of course! My Chansey can use Soft Boiled. It should be able to help your arm, at least. In the meanwhile, I should check your injuries and change your bandages. Can you come with me?”

And so he followed her to one of the empty Pokemon treatment rooms, and let her redress his wounds. “Your head is healing remarkably fast! It…doesn’t even need a bandage anymore. How peculiar.”

Ah, he thought bitterly. He’d always been like that. It was really useful, considering how he was a trouble magnet. He also had an extremely high pain tolerance. It was how he was able to take so many attacks and still get up, seemingly unaffected. It seemed his aura brought him both trouble and healing. Trouble, in the form of _her._

He waited in the room for the Chansey to come, and she did. And he had to lean his weight against the wall, because it tired him out. The healing wasn’t magic, more like forcing the body to speed up the process, meaning it took an incredible toll on his energy.

It was worth it, for the way his arms immediately felt better. They still hurt, but not nearly as much. It didn’t feel like Staravia’s talons were digging into him all over again every time he tried to move his arms.

He walked up to his room, intending to take a small rest. But, as soon as he got into the bed, he found that even though he felt so tired he could sleep for a whole day, he couldn’t relax. Her words kept playing through his head. “You know, I really do want to kill you. You don’t know how much I want to tear you apart, _limb from limb._ I want to _make you hurt._ But, alas. Aura adepts are _rare.”_ The gleam in her eyes when she’d said that word, and the hunger as she gazed on him, still disturbed him now. “You’re rare. And rare things are valuable. More valuable alive. _Unfortunately.”_

It didn’t disturb him, as much, the fact that she’d wanted to hurt or kill him. Lots of people and Pokemon wanted to do that still. (Even though Arceus probably wouldn’t let that happen. After all, Ash had kind of an important job. Chosen One was probably supposed to stay alive.) What did disturb him was the hungry way she looked upon him. Predatory. She wanted to _sell him._ For what? How would the buyer use him? His aura?

Rare. That word stuck in his head. Yes, he knew in theory, that he was rare. More than rare. God blessed, one of a kind. But, really. He always dismissed that. Plenty of people were awesome. He always had help saving the world, from Pikachu, from his friends. He didn’t have a lot of humans to relate to when it came to aura. Next to no one.

Calling him rare, though, in such a smugly pleased way, sent chills down his spine. Like he wasn’t a person. Like he was some object, that could be stolen and sold away. Like a collectors item. It was what made him so mad about J in the first place, the fact that she treated Pokemon like that. It felt so much different, though, to be the one on the receiving end of that.

He felt bad for Pikachu. He was constantly targeted by Team Rocket for being rare. Like an object. (Though they could hardly strike fear into the hearts of their Twerp and his Pikachu. Come _on.)_

Somewhere along his train of thought, he drifted off. He awoke, not feeling very refreshed. Again, his heart pounding and the his gut sinking. Rare. Rare. Rare. That word repeated in his head, along to the beating of his heart. Along to the pounding of his migraine. Her hungry eyes, visors taken off to stare into his soul. They didn’t disappear from his mind’s eye, no matter how vigorously he shook his head.

He rushed into the bathroom joint to his room (he’d been given a suite, compared to the normal 2-4 bed rooms that had a communal bathroom down the hall. Thank you Nurse Joy.) and splashed his face with cold water. He did not want to think about that right now.

Looking into the mirror, he saw someone else. He looked so different, though he must have looked better than this morning, at least marginally. He touched his eye, carefully. Purples and blues blended into greens and yellows and the look of it was enough to make him wince. Yikes. He could see why everyone was so concerned. Regardless of the fact that his posture was hunched and he looked so tired, missing his trademark smile. He was really an entirely different person.

Not wanting to see himself any longer, he headed into the lobby. Surely the Pokedex was here by now?

When he checked with Nurse Joy, he was glad to hear that it was. He took it and immediately went to go withdrawal some money. He needed to do some shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not as proud of this chapter, but I kinda just wanted to get another one out after yall liked it :). Hopefully it was okay! Don't expect like regular updates. This is only a couple days after the first chapter, and I don't know when the next will be. I will gladly take suggestions because I don't really have a plan right now? Like I have ideas of what I can do, but not like a plot.


	3. Really, you didn't think this through?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise visit from a surprise somebody! And, turns out Ash didn't think this all the way through?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter!

He hated going out in public looking like this, still so exhausted, with nothing but a black eye, Pikachu, two injured arms, and in a bloodstained sweatshirt and sweats. As hurriedly as he could, he picked up a couple outfits and all of his necessities, as well as a new bag. He changedin the bathroom, and, looking in the mirror, felt relieved when he saw he looked a lot more like a person. A lot more like himself.

Ash stepped out of the store and immediately almost tripped on a small Pokemon. It was black and blue and looking up at him. When they made eye contact, it jumped into his arms, almost knocking Pikachu off of Ash’s shoulder and his bags to the floor. “Whoa, Riolu? Is that you? What are you doing here?”

It was Riolu! The very same one he’d met just 2 weeks ago. The very same one he had saved from Hunter J. (If anyone asked, he did not shudder still at the thought of her.) What was he doing here?

Riolu barked at him. “You…you sensed my aura was in distress?”

He barked again. “You know it’s Hunter J? You came to help me?”

Another nod. “Riolu, no! Hunter J’s still after you! If she comes back to get me, you’ll be caught too!”  


He felt strangely uncomfortable but also comforted at the fact that Riolu had come for him. On the one hand, it was his principle to never let anyone know he was scared and to not receive help when he didn’t desperately, absolutely need it. Also, the idea that Riolu could sense his distress from that far away was even more distressing. That meant anytime he was feeling scared, someone would know! It made it a lot harder to hide.

But, at the same time, he was relieved and comforted that Riolu cared enough. And, this was one of those times when he actually did really need help. And he couldn’t hide it when Riolu already knew, so might as well take the help where he can get it.

Riolu insisted. He yipped at him, protesting. …He might as well, right…? “You know what? Fine. I don’t really think I could stop you, so come along! You can help me!” He kneeled down to his level. “But, this is important, okay? Don’t tell anyone. Including any other Pokemon. About Hunter J. I want to keep that part a secret.”

He seemed hesitant. “Come on, I feel like Hunter J would hear if the story got out. She doesn’t know where I am right now, but if she found out, we’d both be in a lot of trouble. _Please?”_

Pikachu, even though he was worried about his partner, knew Ash’s stubbornness better than anyone. So he hopped down to Riolu and chirped at him. He reiterated what Ash had said (unfortunately, Ash understood them, so he had to be careful what he said.) It was better to just go along and help where they could. 

Riolu finally seemed to agree. Awesome! “Riolu, you’re the best!”

But then he barked again. “Only if I train my aura with you…?” Ash stiffened. He and Pikachu shared a knowing look. He’d promised himself he’d never use it again, not after Lucario. 

…but…as much as he hated it, it might be good. It could help him stand his ground against J if he was ever without his Pokemon again.

He hesitantly nodded and they’d come to an agreement.

He reached the Pokemon Center’s doors all too soon. He knew Kellyn would be waiting for him, and even though he’d got him to back off trying to “protect” him, he’d still be keeping a close eye. And with Riolu? Kellyn would be on high alert.

As soon as he walked in, they locked eyes. Man, this Ranger was just relentless, wasn’t he? He looked down at Riolu and his eyebrows furrowed. He hurried over to Ash, grabbing his wrist with a firm and rather painful grip. He tugged him over to a corner, urgent. “Why do you have Riolu with you Ash? This is the same one from before! What happened and what is he doing with you?…Did something happen with your aura?”

He’d thought about what he would say on the walk there. “Little buddy here just sensed my distress at _Team Galactic,”_ he emphasized, looking pointedly at Riolu, _“_ and wanted to come with me. But I’m okay now!”

“What about being the inheritor of aura? He can’t just leave his duties!”

Riolu started chattering and Ash leaned down to listen. “He says that his master knew he had something super important and let him leave.”

Kellyn did a double take. Did this kid just _understand a Pokemon?!_ What _couldn’t_ he do? “Ash what the hell? You can understand Pokemon?!”

A sheepish grin and finger scratching his cheek. “I guess? No big deal, though. A lot of people can do it! Especially since me and Riolu here share our auras.”

“No, no, what? What? How…what?”

“Just drop it, Kellyn!” His eyes widened when he realized he’d shouted, but he didn’t apologize. There was awkward silence for a minute, before a chorus of two very familiar people exclaiming “Ash!” broke the silence. It turned a few heads, but there weren’t that many people in the lobby this time of day.

Brock and Dawn rushed forward. “Ash, are you okay?” and “I’m so glad you’re okay!” were shouted simultaneously. Dawn hugged him tightly, and he laughed and loosely hugged her back. “Good to see you guys!” He gladly took the distraction from Kellyn’s shocked but suspicious glare.

When Dawn let go, Brock put his hands on Ash’s shoulders, avoiding hitting Pikachu. They shared a look before Brock pulled him in. “Come here, buddy, we were worried.” 

Ash buried his head into Brock’s chest, maybe a little too forcefully to ward off the concern he’d been trying to convince everyone was unwarranted. This wasn’t something an “okay” person would do. He certainly did not feel okay, and it was getting harder to hide. He needed his big brother’s comfort. He balled his fists into the back of Brock’s shirt.

Unfortunately, he realized something a bit too late. As soon as he thought about the fact he had not told them to keep silent, Dawn said “I’m so glad you escaped Hunter J! Was that Leafeon okay?”

Oh _no._

Multiple things happened in that moment. One, Ash sharply pulled away from Brock, his eyes widening, looking at Dawn, then Kellyn. Two, Kellyn pulled back and looked at Ash sharply. He yelled “ _Hunter J?_ What happened to Team Galactic?” Third, Brock and Dawn yelled “ _Team Galactic?”_ And fourth, Riolu yipped and Brock and Dawn looked at him, growing even more confused. Why was the Riolu here?

Oh shit. He hadn’t thought this one through, had he? All three people were looking at him, demanding an explanation. Pikachu was shaking his head. He knew this was going to happen.

“Okay okay so here’s the thing. _Maybe_ I lied about Team Galactic? But it was just because I didn’t want you worrying too much Kellyn and I didn’t want you _butting into my business!_ What really happened is what I told Dawn and Brock. I ran into Hunter J” (he _didn’t shudder) “_ trying to steal a Leafeon, and she got it, and I snuck onto her ship, and then we fell out of it, and I saved the Leafeon, but I was injured because of that, but now I’m fine! Sure, I have injuries, but I’m fine!”

Kellyn was angry; it showed in his quickly reddening face and clenching fists. “No, Ash, you don’t get to lie about these things or pretend you’re okay! You need to stop getting involved with Hunter J!”

Brock was angry, too, but he understood. Ash always lied when he didn’t want people to worry about him. He’d seen it happen many a time when Ash lied to his mom after saving the world He always saw the ever so slightly trembling lip that indicated he was smudging the truth to avoid her concern and (he always felt the need to defend Ash) anger.

Dawn stepped in to defend Ash. “Hey, you don’t get to boss around Ash! You don’t even know him, and besides, he doesn’t need your help! He’s saved the world so many times I bet he has more experience than you with people like Hunter J!”

Ash winced. Not helping! He didn’t need a _more_ worried Pokemon Ranger on his hands! But hopefully, she could get him to back off.

Kellyn’s eyes widened. He paled. He calmed, considerably. “Ash…you know what? Fine. I’ll let you keep whatever secrets you want. _But._ I’m keeping an eye on you. And you’re getting a phone. And you’re going to have my number. And you’re going to call me if you get into any more trouble, okay? If you promise to do that, I’ll stay off your case. Deal?”

Perfect. Ash didn’t even have to call him. He could promise without really meaning it. (Even though he hated breaking promises, but this wasn’t going to _hurt_ anyone to break. Except maybe himself, but he ignored that.)

“Deal.”

-.-.-.-

A man chuckled. Seeing the boy trying so hard to lie about what had happened to him up on J’s ship. It delighted him to see the young teenager in pain and looking so haggard; a contrast to the meddling fool who ruined J’s plans more than once and snuck onto her ship. It was a personal offense against him, as if the boy was trying to make them look incompetent. But no longer. Sure, he’d escaped her delightfully evil clutches once, but he was sent to make sure it didn’t happen again.

The minute the boy had left her custody, falling out of the sky, she’d deployed her agent to find him and track him so she could capture him again. It wasn’t hard, really. A desperate, injured, child doesn’t do much to cover his tracks. He had a Growlithe to track the scent if need be, but it hadn’t been necessary. He’d quite literally left a trail of blood.

It was amusing to see his meager efforts to cover his tracks, especially once he’d gotten to this Pokemon Center. He’d lied to Nurse Joy, and to the Pokemon Ranger (who he had to keep a close eye on. Although, the boy was really doing his job for him, trying to get the Ranger off his case. Really, he was just isolating himself and making it all the easier to capture him.)

He was also delighted by the fact that he’d attracted the Riolu to him. After all, it was the same buyer, the one after the Riolu, who also wanted the boy. He’d offered a high price for the one who not only had taken the prize Riolu, but had also demonstrated a high capability for aura when he’d tracked the Emanation Pokemon. A human using aura. Rare. Valuable. Would go for high sum of money. They would be able to negotiate a much higher price for the package deal, now that they had the Riolu that could use Aura Sphere and the Aura Adept boy.

He sick smirk crawled its way onto his face at the thought of all the money they would gain from this catch. All he needed to do now was contact the bounty hunter.

He found a private area and took out his communications device. He clicked the screen and an icy voice was heard on the other end.

“Yes, Barnabas? Do you have news?

“I’ve found the boy. And it’s the perfect time to enact the plans.”

A woman, lounging in a ship flying miles in the air, smiled.

“Perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Barnabas a lame name? Should I change it? Suggestions welcome!


	4. Aura Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to keep his promise to Riolu and train his aura! Also, the plot thickens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all like!

It felt like something was pulling at the very life essence of his being. Gently, coaxing it out, so very cautiously, guiding him to follow. It was slow, and hard to force himself to relax. He kept tensing up, as each tug felt so familiar and so painful when it brought up a memory; and each with each tug he realized he’d felt this a million times before, whenever there was an injured Pokemon nearby, when he knew exactly where Pikachu was, what he was saying (well, what any Pokemon was saying, but with Pikachu it was always the strongest. Their very hearts were connected, beating as one, heartstrings connecting their energies together. After all, Pikachu would always remain his very, _very_ best friend). He’d felt this tug before, so many times, and oh, _this was aura?_ What he’d always felt, that was _aura?_

He’d thought it was only that blue energy, that life force, that harsh pushing his soul out of his body. It was one of the reasons he’d been so afraid. But this? It was so…gentle. With that in mind, he was willing to put more of himself into it. He helped Riolu’s efforts by letting himself to be guided, forcing himself to relax, to stop his thoughts from racing, to focus on that gentle feeling, that kindness, that _love,_ being poured into that touch that connected their hearts.

Riolu had been pained even the first time he’d felt Ash’s aura, before. It was so strong, but he’d forcefully stunted himself. He’d used it once before, that was clear. He’d pushed it out, so aggressively, and then he’d forced it back inside and the Pokemon could feel his pain. But, now, as Ash offered Riolu his trust, he could feel just how much more it was hurt than he’d realized. It was so tangled, so knotted and looped around itself, up and down, side to side, like chain necklaces that would get so tangled up it would be impossible to ever separate them.

Ash forced it inside, so deep, ignored it. This must have hurt him. He could feel the distrust in his aura when he’d first set about the task of trying to untangle it, ever so gently and kindly, trying to emanate reassurance and love. He could feel the moment Ash let go of the mistrust, the moment his muscles relaxed and all of a sudden it was so much easier to maneuver his aura around. 

And with that, Ash opened his eyes when he saw a faint blue glow. Riolu had managed to coax the tiniest amount of aura out of him and now his entire body, but especially his hand, were glowing blue. He felt…empowered. In a good way. This was…right. This felt right, like it was meant to be. And even though he felt guilty (…Lucario!) he tried to listen to what Pikachu so constantly affirmed to him: it was not his fault. He tried his best, and he could’ve done it, he could have!…But Lucario made a choice. He made a choice to give his life to save Mew, to save Ash, to be with his master and friend. He’d wanted Ash to promise he’d be happy, to live his life to the fullest, and Ash knew he wanted him to train his aura. He shouldn’t feel guilty, finally trying to fulfill Lucario’s dying wishes.

And so he took a deep breath, in, and out. In, and out. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Breathe. Push out your energy, into Riolu’s hands. Trust. He opened his eyes again as Riolu barked a joyous sound, akin to “yipee!”, as he lit up a much brighter blue. It seemed as though a slight breeze ruffled his hair and skin, only isolated to them two.

Riolu had never seen a human with this much raw _power!_ And energy and aura! He was amazed. He helped Ash mold the blue energy flickering like a candle flame around his hand into a small ball. He used his own aura to show the Aura Adept how to concentrate the energy into a smaller form and watched Ash’s eyes glow and light up with excitement at this.

“Whoa! A sphere!” He watched it flicker in his hands and then go out like a candle. His smile drooped the tiniest bit but he didn’t let the disappointment last for long. Breathing in and exhaling, Ash pushed his aura forward again, trying to reform that ball, with less guidance from Riolu this time. It was harder, and he needed the Pokemon to step in to help, but the energy flickered back to life in his hands. “Okay, I think I know how to do it now. Let me try on my own?” Riolu nodded.

Ash closed his eyes, focusing himself inward. He imagined a core of aura at the center of his being, swelling and shrinking with each inhale and exhale. He willed that power to stretch out, to his arm, his hand, and then out. Without looking, he felt the energy there and pressed it into a ball, like how he might mold clay. He felt it, kept it there, pushed more energy into it, control. Control, control. He opened his eyes. An aura sphere! Small as it was, it was there! And Riolu wasn’t helping him, he’d done it all on his own! And though it shivered, it did not go out. It stayed strong.

On the back fields of the Pokemon Center, the trees and ground around the boy, the PIkachu, and Riolu, glowed blue. A breeze picked up, his shirt ever so slightly moving and his hair swaying with the wind. The Pikachu chirped and the Riolu yipped. The boy laughed and conversed with the two Pokemon.

Ash was so proud of himself, he didn’t notice there was someone watching him. She made a sound as she stepped over to him, and as he looked over, he smiled, but in his surprise, the aura sphere whooshed out. “Dawn! Did you see that?”

“Ash, that’s so cool! I’m glad you’re getting to train your aura!”

A young girl with blue hair joined the boy and the two Pokemon. She stood next to him, leaning against the tree. A small but proud Piplup squeaked and hopped over to the boy, breathing in and making a Whirlpool as if to show that it, too, had powers. The man laughed. They seemed so relaxed here, guards down. The boy smiled more than he had in these ten minutes then he had in the 3 days he’d been here, now that his friends and Pokemon had joined him. This was just too easy, wasn’t it…?

Ash started to stand up. “Okay, I think that’s enough training for today, Riolu. Look how much progress I made!” Pikachu cheered too, giving a victory sign. Ash chucked “Thanks buddy, I always have your support!”

He reached back into his pocket, feeling the new weight there. A phone, he’d gotten, when Kellyn forced him too. Thinking of that, he remembered why he was here and suddenly he wasn’t so happy anymore. Ash just kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, at this point. It’d been about 3 days since he’d been kidnapped by Hunter J the first time, and she was bound to come looking for him! Wouldn’t it be better for her to get him while he’s down and injured? Why hadn’t she come yet?

His injuries were mostly healed, thanks to daily healing sessions from Nurse Joy’s Chansey, andhe looked much better. His black eye was almost unnoticeable, barely a shadow that could be passed off as bad sleep (which was nothing to say of his eye bags, which were still quite noticeable but considerably less so. He was still having nightmares but pretty soon it would be back to his normal of once or twice a week, and by then he could play it off just how he always did.) His right arm, the one that hadn’t been hurt as bad, was almost completely healed, and those his left was still sore (and would certainly have a scar for years to come) it was much better than it was the first night. He’d always been so fast at recovering and healing (thanks to his aura, probably. It’s how he was always able to take Pikachu’s shocks, especially the ones meant to hurt when he was being controlled, or other Pokemon’s attacks, or falling off cliffs and jumping right back up. Paired with his extremely high pain tolerance— that just came with experience, and if you’re as reckless as Ash is— he was unstoppable. Usually).

But even though he was more relaxed and was trying to seem fine for his friends, he tried to keep his guard up as he got more anxious with every hour that passed by uneventfully. Surely she would be coming any second! Where was she! Not that he _wanted_ her to come, _of course not he was still terrified and—_ but it would be a relief to know at least where she was. _Not_ knowing was worse because _what if she was here,_ what if she had a spy, what if the buyer was here, what if she was biding her time until he was too focused on something else to be prepared for her attack?

He forced himself to relax as he made eye contact with a worried Riolu and an even more worried Pikachu. He had to keep his emotions in check more, now that there was a Pokemon that was connected to his aura he could sense his distress from miles away, not to say how much stronger that connection was when they were two feet away from each other! Pikachu was worried too, but he knew to drop it when Ash wanted him too, at least until later when he would stare at Ash and angrily squeak about how weren’t they best friends, why wouldn’t his _Pikapi_ tell him what was on his mind, didn’t he trust him, and why was he being so stupid and not taking care of himself until Ash would relent and tell him what was wrong. It was a well-practiced routine they had. (You would think Ash would learn to stop even _trying_ to hide stuff from Pikachu, but this was _Ash,_ the most stubborn person alive.)

And then. He felt the concern from the Pokeballs on his belt, the ones he’d been avoiding opening ever since Brock and Dawn brought them back to him. Of _course,_ he’d wanted to see them, he’d wanted nothing more than to hug them and maybe cry with them, and he’d so, _so_ eagerly accepted them and held them close to his heart. But. He, he still felt like he didn’t want them to worry! And he just _knew_ they’d be mad because he was stupid and got himself kidnapped _without them_. They knew the story. He knew they’d be so mad, but more than that, they’d be concerned. They’d break through the fragile little wall he’d erected around himself and the facade of okayness and he didn’t want to crack he didn’t even want to think about what happened about how they would react and he couldn’t let them down, couldn’t let them see him hurt, he was _supposed to be the strong one, the positive one, and he couldn’t let his Pokemon see anything that wasn’t that!_ It wasn’t right for a trainer to show negative emotions or helplessness around their Pokemon (other than Pikachu) because the Pokemon would feel it too! And he wasn’t _allowed_ to feel like this, he wasn’t supposed to be so helpless, he was supposed to be the brave one! The one who didn’t let himself be scared by people like _Hunter J_ , the one who faced danger down with a smile like it was nothing, who saved the world and never took credit because that was his job and his friends and Pokemon were the ones who really did all the work. It was nothing for him. He was used to it. He was no real hero, even if he had to pretend to be (he really just felt like a small, scared little kid right now who was _not crying.)_

Ash’s breathing picked up and he tried his damnedest to keep the tears from spilling over because he was _not useless_ and he was brave and strong and had to keep himself together!

He…needed his Pokemon. He didn’t care anymore, about trying to keep up appearances! He just needed to see his best friends again!

There was a happy, eager, and worried chorus of voices from Ash’s different Pokemon. They climbed up his body, butted against his legs, rubbed against his face, crashed into his head, and hopped up and down next to him, happy to see their trainer. Their happiness at seeing him quickly turned into, as Ash had feared, anger and worry. Buizel barked at him “Why didn’t you bring us with you?” and Chimchar cautiously mumbled “Are you okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t help you!” Turtwig and Gliscor grumbled “We’re going to rip her to pieces!” Staravia chirped down at him, apologizing for hurting him, while Pikachu just rubbed their cheeks together, murmuring and sending all the comforting feelings he could to his favorite person. Riolu felt a little out of place next to all of Ash’s Pokemon, but still tried to send happy aura waves towards him.

He sighed. “Hey, guys, I’m sorry you weren’t there to help me. You know I only brought Staravia for training and that’s when she got me! I wasn’t able to get you guys before! And, I _know_ I should’ve talked to you guys earlier, and I’m sorry, but I’ve just been so _scared, and I’m sorry!_ I missed you guys. A whole lot.”

His Pokemon sighed, anger dissipating fast when they knew what he said was true. Besides, it wasn’t his fault for getting into danger this time— she’d come for _him._ And so they hugged him, their combined weight making him fall over with a gasp and a yell. Ash laid on the floor for a second under his Pokemon, their looks expectant, before he laughed and said “I’m so glad you’re all here! Thanks. I mean it.”

Standing a little awkwardly off to the side, Dawn crouched down next to him, shaking her head and sighing. “You really need to start having a brain, Ash. Of course your Pokemon should’ve been the first ones you talked to when you got to safety! But the important thing is, you’re here now, and they’re here now, and you’re safe. So, come on! Get up!”

The man turned away from them to check his phone. Ah, an incoming call from J herself. The same icy voice as always came over the line. “Barnabas, is everything ready?”

“It’s all falling into place. Tonight is the perfect time.”

He could hear hear the satisfaction in her voice as she smirked “Excellent. Keep following orders.”

-.-.-.-.-

“Riolu? I know I never really officially did this, but since you decided to come with me, do you want a battle before I catch you?”

“Rio!” he barked. Of course, he meant.

“You’re on! Pikachu, I choose you!”

They took the battlefield outside the Pokemon Center and as soon as Ash got into the trainer’s box he called “Thunderbolt!”

There was a quick bolt of yellow electricity that zipped across the battlefield and hit Riolu head on, but he quickly retaliated with that ever-sought-after Aura Sphere of his.

“Iron Tail to block it!”The sphere’s blue energy swelled and glowed, tinting the area around it blue as it shot across the battlefield and straight into Pikachu’s readied Iron Tail, who hit it back and Riolu had to dodge his own attack directed at him.

A dark energy swelled out of Riolu’s fist as he swiped at Pikachu with a Shadow Claw, barely clipping his tail as he jumped out of the way without his trainer needing to tell him.

“Volt Tackle!” 

“Pikapikapikapikapikapikapika!” He chanted as he glowed with bright yellow electricity crackling around him, causing even Ash to feel the heat and static from his partner’s attack. Riolu tried to jump, but he hesitated for just a second, deciding whether to dodge or use a move, and that cost him. He was too late to avoid damage and Pikachu slammed straight into him, knocking him back and the second he lost his footing, Ash was ready with a Pokeball.

It hit Riolu and the ball shook a couple times before stilling. Ash had caught Riolu! He ran over to the ball and let Riolu out. “That was an awesome battle! Welcome to the team!” He praised. Riolu’s chest puffed out proudly. “Now that I’ve got you on my team, let’s do some rearranging, huh?”

After a quick call to Professor Oak and one to the Charicific Valley (and a wait of a few hours because he had to fly all the way to Sinnoh) Ash had his new team! He’d asked Chimchar to stay with Professor Oak for a little while (“I promise I’m not leaving you Chimchar, I still care about you, I just think that I want someone a little more experienced if I’m going to see Hunter J again, okay? Plus, you’ll love the Pokemon there! You’ll have Gliscor with you and you guys will make great friends with everyone else, okay? I still care about you! You’re coming back! I want you back!” He’d reassured and pleaded with Chimchar, trying to soothe the young fire-types fears and insecurities.) along with Gliscor, so he could have Riolu and Charizard with him.

Early that afternoon found him and Riolu back under that tree, training aura again. Now that Ash had discovered aura was really cool and he could actually use it (and made peace with himself that he was not betraying Lucario’s memory by doing so) he was eager to train. After a meditation and Riolu untangling his twisted up energy, he guided Ash to make an aura sphere again. This time, it wasn’t nearly as taxing or nearly as weak, and Ash felt confident enough, after observing it, to toss it back and forth between his hands.

An excited laugh found its way out of Ash’s mouth as his eyes lit up with determination and mirth. Pretty soon, he was strong enough to play a game of catch with Riolu and the aura sphere. Back and forth, and back and forth they went, Ash getting more exhausted with each catch and throw. Before he knew it, he was panting too hard to continue, and they leaned against the tree, weary but in high spirits.

Before they ended their training for the day, however, Ash wanted to try one more time. “Riolu, can you show me how to make a shield? I want to be able to use one in case I ever need it. I know i’m pretty drained, but I still want to try, okay? Riolu nodded and Ash jumped up excitedly, pausing as he swayed slightly, vision clouding with black as the blood rushed to his head. “…Ha, I think I only have enough left in me for one shield, but let’s try it.”

He breathed, in and out, and watched Riolu put out his own. It was different from a ball. Instead of concentrating all of it into the hand and compressing the energy into a sphere, he had to direct it out of his hands and his heart, spreading out the energy but at the same time not making it too thin. He had to imagine both painting a wall and pushing it up at the same time, Riolu explained.

Closing his eyes, he imagined his energy near his heart, expanding and shrinking with his breath. He imagined it moving through his arms then out of his hands, out of his chest, expanding out like branches on a tree or the webs of an Ariados, strings connecting to each other and interweaving until they created a solid wall. He dared to open his eyes to find…a shield! A flickering, weak barrier that collapsed the second he broke his concentration, but still!

And with that, he promptly and very gracefully fell back on his ass and laughed to himself. “Okay, I think that’s enough for today. I’m ready to conk out!” As he laid down on his back on the grass, he heard a “Pikapi!” before an excited Pikachu jumped onto his stomach, earning an “Oof!” from his partner. “Hi Pikachu, did you have a good nap?”

He excitedly chittered, describing his dreaming about eating ketchup and then quickly demanding that he get ketchup with dinner tonight, since he hadn’t had it in three days and deserved it. Really, Ash should be taking better care of him. Three days without ketchup! That was practically starving!

Listening to Pikachu rant, Ash almost dozed off, eyes drooping and closing for a second before a pat from a still irked Pikachu kept him alert. “I think you might need a nap yourself, Mr. Fancypants Aura Man.”

“Oh, hi Brock! Good to see you!”

He chuckled, bending down slightly and offering a hand, which Ash took. “You’re probably right, I’m really drained from all the training we did today. But hey, Brock, it’s so cool! I can toss an aura sphere back and forth with Riolu and I even put up a shield! I’m so excited!”

As they fell into step next to each other, Brock smiled. “I’m glad that you’re happy about your aura. I know it was hard for you, with… well, I remember how you felt about your aura after everything that happened with Lucario. It’s good to see you starting to move on.”

Ash gave a sigh. “I…yeah, up until just today, I felt really bad about it. I, believe it or not, was actually kind of scared of my aura afterwards, and I didn’t want to hurt anyone with it. I just felt bad about Lucario, felt bad about enjoying myself and I felt bad because I could’ve saved him, and I could’ve given more, and he didn’t have to die!…But, yeah. I realized he wanted me to be happy and to keep training my aura, and so I finally decided to honor his wish. I’ve felt so guilty, but now I want to be able to enjoy my life while still honoring him, too.”

He slumped an arm around the younger boy’s shoulder. “That’s mature of you, Ash. I’m proud.”

Ash could feel his cheeks reddening. “Ahh, really? I don’t, uh, know about that, but, thanks.”

“No prob, bud.”

-.-.-.-

“Plans ready?”

“Plans ready. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism and questions appreciated!


	5. Lightning Crashes With My Beating Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all like? So, I know I have many a run-on sentence within this story, and it's kind of purposeful; since this is written from Ash's point of view, I want to show his panicked and fearful thoughts running together in much the same way they would even if we were not getting a look into his mind. Sorry if that bothers you! I also have a VERY generous use of commas. I like commas.

His first mistake was asking to stay in his own room, instead of sharing a room with Brock, like usual. He didn’t really want to worry his friend about the nightmare he was most definitely going to wake up to, and he didn’t want to deal with the concern.

His second mistake was leaving his Pokebelt inside of his backpack, electing to have his Pokemon stay inside their Pokeballs for the night (except for Pikachu, of course, and Riolu, because he wasn’t used to the ball and he didn’t seem to have all that strong of a liking towards the confining space), figuring they’d be cramped in the small room he had to himself.

Looking back, he should have called Charizard _earlier_ , so he could get there _before_ Ash went to sleep, rather than in the middle of the night. And that was the third mistake.

-.-.-

He woke up with a feeling of urgency, anxiety an icy fist with a vice grip on his heart, energy reaching out of him to the unknown source of panic. Shooting his eyes open blearily (where _was_ he? This certainly was _not_ the uncomfortable Pokemon Center cot he’d gone to sleep on. With that thought, his heart rate sped up even more than before), his gaze dashed from side to side, although he couldn’t see anything except black. What was that feeling?

_Riolu. Riolu!_

He felt as though his stomach was ripped out of him and replaced with ice, tensing and shivering. Riolu was in trouble, but more than that, Riolu was feeling anxiety for _Ash. Ash was the one in trouble._ Only then did he become more aware of his surroundings. He was on his stomach, draped over something _…_ living? Scales. He was moving. There was wind rushing through his hair, bringing tears to his eyes. He was wet, and there were raindrops falling onto his face. Wingbeats. He was on the back of some flying, scaly creature. A Pokemon. And _he couldn’t see anything!_

He heard a chuckle and recognized a voice that sent ice through his veins. “Ah, getting restless, are we?” _J. Hunter J. It was her!_

He _knew_ she was going to come! He knew it! Ah, he should have been more _careful!_ He thought he’d kept his guard up enough, but _clearly not!_ He tried his best to maneuver to a sitting position, but his limbs felt like lead. Had she done something to him? He fought the feeling, regardless, already shaking off the effects of whatever it was. Suddenly, the sky was lit brightly by zigzagging lightning flashing through the sky, and he saw. J, her face shadowed eerily, riding on her Salamence, in front of him. He heard a deep, unsettling rumble of thunder. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see they weren’t that far above the buildings in the outskirts of Veilstone City, which meant it couldn’t have been that long and they weren’t that far. Which meant he still had a chance!

Looking down and to the right, he saw a man riding a small flying contraption, a caged Pikachu and Riolu fastened to the back. And with that. He didn’t think. He just. Jumped!

It all happened way too fast for him to think, but before he could even think to control his own muscles, he’d jumped from the Salamence, at least 7 feet through the air and down, onto a moving, flying vehicle. He almost slipped off, rain making everything wet and slick. Ash knocked into the man, shaking the craft as it swerved and he lost control, grabbing Pikachu’s and Riolu’s cage and onto a luckily-placed building roof below, rolling and trying to absorb the worst of the shock with his own back. Ignoring the pain, he immediately shot back up, running, holding the cage with one hand and checking for his belt with the other before — _Shit!_ They must have left it there! He should have slept with it on, or left his Pokemon out of their balls!

Riolu and Pikachu were panicking, Riolu barking, trying to break the cage, while Pikachu’s cheeks sparked uncontrollably, wanting to do something but not knowing what, all those years of experience being captured by Team Rocket suddenly forgotten. Just as Ash tried to pull the lock open with his own two hands, Riolu’s shadow claw broke through it and they jumped out, not wasting a second before joining Ash in his escape.

Until they reached the edge of the building, and the next one was much lower, and Ash was about to jump, but right as he did, his feet slipped on the wet landing, and he lost his momentum and fell over the edge. He could barely see, but one arm reached up to hold onto the edge while the other caught Pikachu, who caught Riolu. But it was his left arm holding onto the wall, and his cuts reopened, and he tried _really_ hard not to scream, biting his tongue, gritting his teeth, and managing to just grunt, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to focus on not letting go. 

A smirking Hunter J flew down to him on her Salamence, waiting for him to fall. But Ash _refused._ He swung Pikachu and Riolu up to the ledge and they helped him to climb back onto the top (Ash tried to ignore the quickly spreading warm liquid staining his left shirt sleeve. He could deal with a bloody arm later, he just prayed it would work enough for him to get through this safely.) As he scrambled out of the way of a viciously ordered “Hyper Beam!” which made tears spring to his eyes, more than a little terrified, his hands fumbled to his pocket and he was immensely relieved to find that the phone he’d slept with was still there. 

As fast as he could, Ash pulled it out, and, running, and hit the speed dial. After 2 rings, a groggy but urgent voice responded. “Ash, what’s wrong?”

Wheezing, now, he pleaded “Kellyn, help me, please! I’m on the outskirts of the city somewhere, Hunter J’s chasing me, I only have Pikachu and Riolu and I’m outnumbered and hurt!”

He couldn’t say any more as he lunged out of the way of another Hyper Beam, Kellyn worriedly asking question after question. “Kellyn, I have to go! I’m a little preoccupied at the moment! Just track me or something! Track Riolu if you can!”

Ash tried to scale the building down to the ground, since he’d be much less disadvantaged down there. “Hang close buddy! Riolu, I’ve got you!” Even Ash, ever the Mankey-like climber, was having trouble climbing down the four-story apartment building, pipes and bricks extremely slippery from the steadily increasing downpour. Lightning flashed in the distance again, followed by an ear-shatteringly loud crack of thunder that shook him down to his core. It was as though the weather was clued into how dangerous this night really was.

When he was only ten feet above the ground, Hunter J ordered another Hyper Beam from Salamence, and Ash had to jump the side to avoid being hit, losing his footing and slipping down, grabbing Pikachu and Riolu and shielding them with his body. He rolled as soon as he hit the ground, trying to minimize the damage, but even Ash couldn’t ignore the battering he was taking. His left arm hurt so badly he could barely use it and the rain and dark made it really hard for him to protect himself.

By the time he picked himself off the concrete, Ash looked around to see tens upon tens if not hundreds of Hunter J’s henchmen, many with a Pokemon out, poised for battle. It wasn’t hard to see that the odds were against him, some five hundred trained men with Pokemon all against an injured fourteen-year-old boy, cornered against a building, soaked to the bone, panting, scared, with only a tired Pikachu and Riolu on his side.

But still, Ash didn’t let it show that it phased him. “Pikachu, give ‘em a Thunderbolt! Riolu, Aura Sphere!” Supercharged from the rain and adrenaline, Pikachu’s yellow thunderbolts jumped from drop to drop, electrifying each and every one of the thousands that were falling, creating an immensely loud buzzing static sound and a bright glow that illuminated the dark. It cracked and struck in time with the lightning, striking and felling at least ten of the Pokemon and the henchmen. Riolu’s Aura Sphere swelled twice in size, blue energy mixing with the yellow flare to create a green glow, crashing into the men and taking out ten more. But there were hundreds, and with attack after attack the two Pokemon threw, it was nowhere near enough to keep them at bay.

The men slowly closed in on Ash, J content to hover above on her Salamence, enjoying the spectacle. At some point, when it became more dire with each passing second, Ash had started shooting aura spheres of his own. When he had, even though he shouldn’t have been able to in the low light, Ash saw Hunter J’s eyes focus on him hungrily. Like a predator. Ash pushed his back into the wall, hair dripping, shivering, bleeding, panting. _Where was Kellyn?!_

Soon they came too close for range attacks to be of any good and Ash’s resolve hardened. He knew what he needed to do. He took a breath, in and out, closing his eyes despite what was happening around him. Focused on the rain, focused on the energy flowing around them. Drawing power from Riolu, from Pikachu, from his own core. Just like he had earlier that day, Ash pushed the aura out of him, trying to lace together a shield. It worked, again! The men stopped, bewildered, but it was only a few second’s respite before they ordered their Pokemon to attack again.

With every attack that hit the shield, Ash could feel himself grow weaker. It was extremely hard to hold it up, but he was pushing everything he had forward. More than he did back with with Lucario. Ever fibre of his being was out in that shield, holding the men at bay. But they grew closer, and closer, and Ash’s shield grew smaller and smaller. He was sweating, and he felt like he was going to faint. But he put all his strength forward, hands and arms shaking, before it felt like a wall was pushing against him and he curled up.

With every attack, Ash retreated into himself further. Riolu was pushing out, too, trying to add his power, but he was drained after the hard fight he’d put up. Ash was alone, on this one. The shield visibly thinned, glowing weaker and weaker with each blow, as it grew smaller, until it was only enough to cover Ash’s huddled form and Pikachu and Riolu, nuzzled into his chest. He turned his head away as it flickered, shaking, shivering, like a candle flame about to go out.

Ash pushed his aura out, one more time, every particle of his being, everything that made him up, out of him, into that shield. And right before it flickered out, right as the shield dropped, a roar seemed to shake the ground, and a pillar of fire came out of the sky, burning the men that dared come too close to Ash.

Charizard landed in front of the boy, growling, shooting fire, daring anyone else to come near enough to be defeated. Ash wanted to cry with relief, to shout for joy, to hug Charizard, to do a million other things, but now was not the time. It was time to fight. On shaky legs, (he would give anything to just sleep for a thousand years, now.) he stood up.

With an enraged dragon Pokemon in the fight now, Ash had much better odds. He was shaking like a leaf, like he could be knocked over if anyone so much as breathed on him, but he stood strong anyway, feeling at least a little rejuvenated now that he wasn’t so hopeless and that one of his oldest friends was there to help him. Charizard’s heat radiated off of him and he blew scalding Flamethrower after Flamethrower, no qualms about hurting the aggressors and no holding back. He would kill without a second thought, Ash realized, but at this point, he knew he couldn’t even stop Charizard if he tried to, so instead he cheered him on, and cheered Pikachu and Riolu on, and tried to get himself together enough to add one more Aura Sphere, and one more after that, and if he could just do _one more, maybe it would be enough!_

_“_ Ash! I found you!”

His head snapped up to make eye contact with a very worried and distressed Kellyn riding on his Staraptor. He swooped down next to Charizard’s and jumped off of his flying type, rushing to Ash’s side and checking him over. “Are you okay? What happened? _How_ did this happen?”

“Now is _not_ the time for questions! Please, just help! I’m kind of outnumbered here, and.” He paused, clenching his fist and looking to the side, “I can’t do this alone. I’m not strong enough. I’ve pushed out one too many Aura Spheres, I think. She…she came for me. She’s after me, and she won’t give up. I need your help. I need my other Pokemon, they’re back in my room at the Center! All I have is Pikachu, Riolu, and Charizard, and they’re all getting pretty tired, and there’s still _hundreds of them!”_ His voiced cracked as he made to motion with his left hand to the army still attacking, but winced before he could complete the motion, dropping his arm and holding it, still trying to ignore the blood oozing (although the flow was getting faster with each passing minute) from aggravated wound, some of the dried parts soaked from the rain again and dripping down his arm and making spidery red stains down his white sleeves.

Kellyn called out his Floatzel and a Blastoise, both water types advantaged by the downpour around them. Thunder cracked in the distance after lightning struck, making the battlefield as light as day for a split second before submerging them in darkness once more. “Hydro Pump!” he called, and his Pokemon followed the command, taking out many of the men and their fighters in the process. They continued to fight, and, paired with the now tiring but still strong Charizard and the exhausted Pikachu and Riolu, they were able to make more progress on the men than before. There were considerably less, but there were still too many. They were still vastly, vastly outnumbered, and they seemed to only get angrier and stronger as the fight went on (or, maybe, Ash and his Pokemon were just getting more and more exhausted).

Unfortunately, Kellyn wasn’t of nearly as much help as he was when they’d saved Riolu, now almost three weeks ago. Being out in the city and at this time of night, there weren’t exactly a lot of wild Pokemon around that Kellyn could temporarily capture and use in their battle. The Pokemon Ranger’s power was reduced to merely that of a strong trainer, but one that was outnumbered and pretty soon he was going to have to deal with an unconscious Ash, if his cursory glance at the boy told him anything, swaying on his feet and eyes drooping.

“Ash, snap out of it! I know you’re exhausted, but don’t faint on me now!” At his demand, the boy shook his head and used the wall to support him, shooting a small, humorless smile to the ranger. They fought, and fought, and soon they were faced with only a hundred men, compared to the near five hundred before. But it was still one hundred on two, at least seventy Pokemon on just five. But, thankfully! 

“Ash! Pikachu! Kellyn! We’re here!”

Dawn and Brock came running over, anxious and growing more distressed by the sight of they friend’s condition, but now was not the time for that. “Dawn, Brock! Awesome! Help us against J! Did you bring my Pokemon?”

In response, a Turtwig, Staravia, and Buizel were released and quickly joined in the fight. “You guys!”He smiled, briefly, before his eyes hardened as he turned them onto the men once more. He ordered them to fight on their own (he trusted his Pokemon to be good battlers. He trusted them, because they trusted him, and because he loved them. They were strong.) and Dawn and Brock’s Pokemon joined in on the battle as well. Piplup jumped off of Dawn’s shoulder and quickly created a Whirlpool, eager at the chance to show off his skills. Her Buneary jumped around, battling and launching off attacks in the beautiful way that she did in contests, hopping and flipping and felling the attackers and their Pokemon alike.

With this, the playing field was much more evened out. After all, their Pokemon were all stronger than the men— specially trained, loved, and fed, and believed in— the foundation of trust between trainer and Pokemon gave them an advantage any day, but the sheer number of their opponents was overwhelming. 

Still, as lightning zigzagged across the sky, striking in tandem with Pikachu’s Thunderbolts and thunder cracked synchronously with the screams of the men and their Pokemon, they made progress. They felled attacker after attacker, and Ash didn’t feel so hopeless anymore, after the army grew smaller and smaller, until all but a couple had fallen, unconscious in a sickeningly tall pile of bodies.

It was at this point that J swooped in, laser beam at the ready, smirk on her face. Despite it all, despite his eyes about to close and his knees about to buckle, Ash called “Watch out! That thing can turn Pokemon to stone!” Her Salamence fired off Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam and she fired off laser after laser. The Pokemon dodged, but soon the trainers had to recall most of their Pokemon, especially the bigger ones. Charizard, Buizel, all of Kellyn’s Pokemon, and most of the others were desperately recalled into their Pokeballs despite their protests, before only Pikachu, Riolu, and some of the flying types remained. This was the time to retreat. They finally had the chance to, now that they weren’t cornered and under a constant barrage of attacks, and Ash hopped onto his Staravia, gathering Riolu and Pikachu in his arms and holding on tight. Right before she took flight, he looked down at the almost-unconscious Pokemon in his arms, breathing heavily and appearing feverish, clinging tightly to him. Then he was up in the air, Staravia dodging Hyper Beams and lasers, and this was _so much better than being held by her claws_ , he thought with a wince, his arm throbbing.

He tried not to spare too many looks back, leaning as close as he could and burying his head into Staravia’s feathers, but an alarm fired off in his head and he ripped it up when he felt a frantic distress wave, aura connecting with Riolu. Hunter J was _next to him,_ and she looked in his eyes and her icy gaze immediately froze him to the spot, muscles turning limp as his eyes widened and he sat, petrified, feeling so helpless, and the word _rare, rare, rare, rare,_ repeating in his head in tandem with his racing heart, becoming so loud it was all he could think and all he could hear, and he seemed to lose his vision and all his senses, and he couldn’t see, and he couldn’t feel the rain on his back and his face anymore, and all that he could perceive was that word and those predatory eyes, and it was too late.

She shot a laser before he could do anything, and it hit Riolu, and he turned to stone, and it was so much _heavier,_ and his excruciatingly pained left arm couldn’t hold the Pokemon anymore, and he just dropped Riolu before he could think to hold him any tighter, to fight against the pain! And she swooped down to grab the poor aura Pokemon, and she caught him, and then Ash’s friends were there, next to him, and so she made eye contact with him one more time, a silent promise that _she would be back,_ and she would get him, and then she started to fly away, but not before she smiled that awful smile of hers and yelled “Boy, we’ll be back! You’re _rare,_ and I need that, but for now, I’ll settle for this Riolu! After all, its _the same buyer.”_

And then she was gone.

And felt immobilized, shocked, and he wanted to cry really badly, and he was going to throw up, because _she got Riolu,_ and it was the _same buyer?_ The one he’d fought, before, with that cold, calculating, stare and ruthless methods, and he wanted _Ash?_ He’d bought _Ash?_ Paid money to possess, to capture, and to hold, a human boy. _Him._

_Riolu was gone._ She was right. He had _failed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and constructive criticism always appreciated!


	6. Choking, pleading, but it does you no good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A ransom and deal is made. Ash really can't catch a break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is double the length of my normal chapters! Sorry if some parts of this felt rushed. I didn't get to work on this until pretty late tonight, but I promised Sunday night, so here it is Sunday night.

As soon as they got back to the Pokemon Center, they called Nurse Joy over to help the Pokemon and Ash. He _really_ wasn’t doing well. Extremely drained from pushing himself way past his limits with aura, anemia from the blood loss, an arm that looked like it might be getting infected, absolutely dead on his feet, and silently hating himself because he’d _failed._ He’d failed to protect Riolu, even though he’d promised him! He’d tried his best but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t going to be enough, and he had to save Riolu, somehow! _No matter_ what it took; if it took his life, he would save Riolu.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the best condition to do that at the moment, and it took all of his somehow still-strong willpower (his stubbornness would be the death of them all) not to collapse or faint. Regardless, he was currently being carried by Brock and when they’d dealt with the Pokemon (most of all Pikachu, and it _would’ve_ been Riolu too, but he was gone!), he was deposited on one of the couches. And didn’t this feel so much like that first night, except this time his friends were here? (And this time he’d failed to save everyone.) 

Ash wanted to throw up. He wanted to cry. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to chase Hunter J down, terror be damned, and punch her face in. He wanted Riolu to be safe. He wanted his buddy, his best ever buddy, to be okay. He wished none of this had ever happened. (It wasn’t a sentiment he felt often—and if he ever did he pushed it to the very back of his mind, hidden away forever because that wasn’t _allowed_ —but he wondered _why_ it had to be _him?_ He was the Chosen One, but why was it him? He knew he had to be the hero, he had to be strong, he had to be heroic, and brave, and optimistic, but why did it have to be him? Was he allowed to get a break? Would he ever get one? Evil team after evil team, legendary after legendary, disaster after disaster, criminal after criminal. He encountered them all. He defeated _and_ saved them all! Always. Why couldn’t he just get a break? He was a _child!_ ) But, but, despite everything, he would be the hero anyways. He would stay strong, because that was the way it had to be.

“…Ash? Ash!”

He blinked his eyes open. He wasn’t on the lobby couch anymore! He was… in a Center room. A two-bedroom one, with Brock standing over him. His arm was rebandaged and (he hadn’t even realized he had it) his head had a bandage on it too, and only now was it starting to hurt. When had he dozed off? Where was _Pikachu?_

With that, he shot up (too fast, he realized with a wince as his head throbbed. He brought his arm up to hold it, only for that to hurt even _more,_ and he groaned and laid back down. Brock looked sympathetic but also as though he was trying to hide a chuckle. Man, he was a mess, wasn’t he?)

“Ash, you doing okay? I was worried because you were crying in your sleep!”

He…was? When he felt his cheek (with his right arm, this time), he felt wetness. Huh.

He ignored that line of conversation instead to frantically ask about Pikachu. According to Brock, he was okay, he was just very drained and needed to rest in one of the Pokemon restoration machines. Ash was in worse shape, he said, but Ash didn’t care about that! He cared about finding Riolu, right now!

When he expressed this concern, Brock sighed and motioned Kellyn in. “Before, Ash, we need to talk about what happened tonight. What happened?”

That wasn’t important! What was important was finding Riolu! But they wouldn’t let the issue go, so Ash relented, even though he really didn’t want to. He really just wanted to stop being a failure, and to make sure Riolu was safe! Dawn came in too, and they all sat on the other bed, and Ash started his story. He told about waking up on Salamence, confused, Hunter J being right there, Pikachu and Riolu locked up, without the rest of his Pokemon, making his escape, being caught on the building. About the hundreds of men against just him, about using his aura but utterly draining himself with a shield, about Charizard coming, and then Kellyn, then Brock and Dawn coming to save him.

But, they asked, why did Hunter J come after him in the first place? Did she want revenge, after the Leafeon and every time before that? But, if so, why had she called Ash “rare” (he shuddered, _really_ trying not to), and why had she said she’d be back for him?

“I…” (here goes nothing) “I may have lied to you guys about the Leafeon? She, uh, she didn’t really come to steal a Leafeon. She kind of, um, kidnapped me, that first time? Everything else is kind of true, except I jumped out of her ship to escape. She’s um, she’s after me because of my aura? I’m…” Clenching his fists, now, deep breath in and out. “rare, because of that. I just found out that the buyer, the same one who bought Riolu before, paid money for her to catch me! He’s after me!” His voiced cracked at the end, and he was trying _really_ hard to keep himself composed, but it was really challenging because of how bad this night had been, how much had happened, he was barely processing it, he _wasn’t,_ he was ignoring it! If he just pushed the memories out of his mind, he would be okay. He would _seem_ okay, at least. (And how spectacularly failing at that he was right now.) But the words, they just kept thrumming through his head. Failure, rare, failure, rare. Riolu’s gone, Riolu’s gone, you’ve failed. And, oh no! He was going to cry! And he couldn’t stop it! And he clenched his eyes shut as tight as he could, but he didn’t have his cap to shield them like he usually would have (he’d lost it when she’d kidnapped him the first time, and hadn’t had the heart to buy a new one when he bought new clothes, because it didn’t feel right, but now he was going to have to buy new clothes _again_ because of all the blood from his arm.

Ash still did the best he could to turn his face away to try and hide his tears. But they were running down, and Dawn made a sympathetic noise and came over to hug him, but he wasn’t _weak!_ He was supposed to be a _hero,_ he was supposed to be _strong,_ he wasn’t allowed to cry! He didn’t _deserve_ to cry, not after he’d failed Riolu and let him get captured! He couldn’t stop them, though, and they just kept flowing out, and then was _horrified_ because a sob just ripped itself out of him! And then more came, and _why was he crying?!_ , and he was a complete and utter mess, so he just hid himself in Dawn’s shoulder instead as he cried on her. And it was gross, because he was getting her shoulder all wet, and he'd _never_ done this before, he’d never cried on a friend’s shoulder, no one had ever seen him cry before, after a life-ending/world-saving (same thing, really, since he usually died while saving the world) event, except after Shamouti, because that was the first (second?) time, and he was the _Chosen One_ then, and he really did not want to be, and he cried after that and Brock and Misty saw, and he hated it.

But now, here he was, an utter mess even though he was perfectly safe and sound and he should be fine! But he wasn’t. And he heard voices, Brock and Kellyn and then Dawn said something too, but he couldn’t understand it, not through his sobs and the buzzing in his head and the cotton in his ears, and then he’s pretty sure Kellyn left (good, one less person to see him like this). Then he was back, though, but then he heard a “Pikapi!” And _Pikachu!_ Thank Arceus, Pikachu was here, and everything was alright for a second while he hugged his partner and they held each other as close as they could and Pikachu whispered sweet nothings into his ears, how he was alright, he was okay, Pikachu loved Ash, loved him with all his heart, and he was okay for crying, and they would get Riolu back. And then he was crying again, but this time Pikachu was here, and he felt so much better and so much more complete.

He fell asleep, at some point, because the next time he opened his eyes Pikachu was the only one there, curled up on his chest, and it was dark and he was laying on the bed. He felt _awful._ His head hurt so badly, he was nauseous, and his chest was heavy and something warm and slimy was clinging to it like velcro, swelling over his throat and choking him. His nose was clogged and his head filled with cotton. His eyes burned, like they immediately wanted to close, and he felt like a deadweight. _Why was he awake?_

Looking over at the clock, it was 3:37 AM. About two hours after they’d gotten back to the Center. He could just barely see Brock’s silhouetted sleeping form on the bed next to him, and he was so glad that he wasn’t alone in the room now.

Ash felt a tug on his chest, again, and he realized that this was what had woken him up. He gasped as his heart lurched out of his body, and felt Riolu! They’d connected, and yes! Ash could track him, and find him again! He tried to sit up, before realizing Pikachu was still sleeping on his chest, although now peeking his eyes open with a questioning “Pika?” before immediately falling back asleep, and before realizing his muscles probably weren’t going to support him. Later. In the morning, he would find Riolu, whether they wanted him to or not.

-.-.-.-

By the time he woke up in the morning, it was late. 11 AM, which, loathe as he was to admit it, made sense. He still felt utterly exhausted, but a million times better than he had the night before. Pikachu had somehow maneuvered right next to his nose, now, instead of on his chest, and Brock was gone.

Ash rolled over and hit something hard next to him. His phone? The one he’d just gotten. He checked it, and, what? There was a message on the screen from an unknown number, which was weird, because he’d just gotten it a couple days ago and his only contacts were Dawn, Brock, and Kellyn. 

He slid up on the phone, and (he had yet to make a password, because even though they forced him to get a phone, that didn’t mean he was really going to _use_ it.) there was a voicemail. He turned up the volume and held it to his ear to hear what it said. As he did, his eyes widened. 

“Hello, _Ash._ You are going to do exactly what I tell you to, because you don’t want to see your precious Riolu hurt. And if you don’t listen, we _will_ hurt it. After all, our buyer wanted it, but he didn’t say _in one piece._ Here is what you will do. Tonight, at midnight, you will come to the location I send to your device. You will bring no Pokemon. No Pokeballs, and no Pikachu. You will come completely alone, and you will not inform anyone about any of this. They will be under the impression you are asleep and safe. If you follow all of these directions, then we will exchange the Riolu for you. _You_ will fetch a higher price. You will come to Hunter J’s ship and we will let the Riolu free, leaving it safe at the Pokemon Center. I am watching you. I have been watching you. If you violate any of these directions, you will never see the Riolu again, _and_ we will come back to capture you another way. Am I understood? Tonight. Midnight.”

…Oh, of _course_ they would do a ransom. Ash tried to ignore the fact that he was shaking by hugging the phone close to his chest, smiling and petting Pikachu when he woke up and directed a questioning stare at his trainer.

He could do this. He could. Ash was smart. He would do everything they said, _but!_ He was going to free Riolu without getting captured himself. He wasn’t sure how, yet, he’d figure that out! But he had a lead, even a _location_ on Riolu. He had to be really careful, though, considering he was being watched. Ash sat up, thinking, and his hand went up to his neck, grasping a carefully hidden chain under his shirt. He was never more thankful than he was in this moment that Ash had asked Professor Oak to modify Pikachu’s ball to be able to shrink until it was flat. After almost losing him after Team Magma and Team Aqua, he’d decided to keep Pikachu’s ball as close to his heart as he could get it. But, if he hadn’t!

Ash had lost his backpack when he was kidnapped. He used to keep Pikachu’s ball in there. He could have _lost his ball!_ Even though Pikachu hadn’t been in his ball since the day they’d met, if Ash lost his ball! He couldn’t. He allowed himself a small smile, though, as he felt the flattened ball. He could use this. The man had said no Pokemon and no Pokeballs, but this would be easily dismissed if it didn’t go unnoticed at all. The only thing was, though! He’d forgotten, how could he forget! Pikachu could never go in his ball. The smile slipped off his face. That didn’t work. He would never force his pal to go back in there again.

Well, he’d think of something! Now, though, he was _super_ hungry, and he knew Pikachu was, too, if his hopping up and down by the door was anything to go by (Not to mention his chirping about “Can I have ketchup please please!”). “Buddy, let’s go eat. And of _course_ you can have ketchup, as much as you want! You did so much, _so much_ for me last night, and I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I failed you, and I failed Riolu, and I failed everyone. But I’ll fix it, I’ll fix everything. I’ll tell you later.”

Pikachu just tilted his head, furrowing his brows, before hopping onto Ash’s right shoulder and practically tugging him to the door, down the hall, and all the way to the cafeteria. Ash tried to put the voicemail out of his mind while he saw his friends waiting in the lobby and by the food for him. 

“Perfect timing, Ash, we were just going to come to wake you up, Sleepyhead!”

He laughed sheepishly as his stomach growled very loudly, and his friends laughed too. “Well, _that’s_ why you got up, I can see! Let’s go eat!”

Breakfast passed extremely fast, and so did lunch, and then it was dinner; Ash had been thinking and planning all day what he was going to do, training his aura (even without Riolu! Oh, how he just wanted to curl up and cry, he’d failed Lucario then and Riolu now! He really was useless. Worse than useless, he was hurting them!) He passed his odd behavior off to his friends as exhaustion, (and he was, absolutely) and they were sympathetic enough not to press him any further. (Later, they would realize, that was their mistake. They’d underestimated his abilities to lie, and to lie, and to lie again. Dawn used to think he was a bad actor. Not anymore.)

Soon enough, it was time to sleep. Ash sat on the edge of his bed, holding Charizard’s ball tightly. He was conflicted about whether or not to include him in the mission, because he _really_ needed him, but Charizard was so big, and so noticeable. How was he going to hide him? Having him in his ball wasn’t an option, because he knew they’d check him for Pokeballs and it was so easy to steal Pokemon when they were locked away in a portable form.

Hmm….better not. Or should he? Maybe he’d tell Charizard to leave ten minutes or so after him from the Pokemon Center. By then, the spy should be following Ash, right? Not still at the Pokemon Center?

And so, before Brock got back into the room, Ash quickly released his Charizard, the Pokemon’s large head cramped against the ceiling, tail carefully avoiding setting the bed on fire. Ash tried to explain to Charizard his plan. “No one can know about this! You better trust me, buddy. Don’t get anyone else involved, or it’ll ruin the whole thing. Please.”

At Charizard’s reluctant agreement, he allowed himself a small smile and continued to explain in crucial detail what exactly Charizard was to do and where he was to go. Ash would leave the Pokeball on the ground outside of the window he was planning to sneak out of, and Charizard would come out of it when it was time. They could do this.

Pikachu was sitting next to Ash, looking reluctant. Ash had already explained the plan to his little buddy, but he clarified it to be sure. Ash would only bring them two, and both of the Pokemon would follow behind him at different times, remaining unseen. Pikachu would leave three minutes after Ash, staying low, hiding in alleyways and whatever he could. Pikachu was small and it was a lot easier for him than it was for Charizard, who would leave ten minutes after Ash and would fly high enough to make him hard to suspect.

Ash quickly recalled the fire Pokemon when he heard a knock on the door. “Ash, we should go to sleep, now. You’re still exhausted and you need to be as rested as you can. We’ll talk about everything more tomorrow, okay? Be ready for that.”

He nodded, and laid down facing away from Brock as the older trainer turned the light off. Ash didn’t let himself sleep and didn’t relax until he heard the other’s breathing even out. Then, he began to review his plan in his head. Ash would travel there on foot to the location (a 20 minute walk away) the unknown spy had sent to his phone half an hour ago. Once he got there, he would assess how easy it would be to sneak on board the ship to free Riolu, but if he got caught, he would say he was turning himself in. If he was lucky, he would save Riolu and himself. If he wasn’t, then he would do everything in his power to save Riolu, not caring about himself until he was sure the aura Pokemon was safe. After all, Riolu could track him with aura. Kellyn had a tracker in Ash’s phone. He would be okay, he knew how to handle J. He’d done it before. He could do it again. (He knew he was just telling himself that. The reality was, the very thought of her icy eyes made his knees go weak and he never wanted to be near her again. But Ash would put that aside, push it out of his mind, until he did what needed to be done. His feelings didn’t matter until everyone was safe.)

When 11:40 came, Ash creeped out of his bed, waking Pikachu silently and making sure Brock was asleep. Before, he’d unlatched the window and left it slightly open so he could easily slip out without making a sound. Ash put two Pokeballs on his belt: Riolu’s empty one (which, if found, he could say they should put him in it when they returned him to the Pokemon Center) and Charizard’s, which he would leave outside. Pikachu’s was still on his neck (he’d never force his buddy in there).

He slipped down the fire escape as silently as humanly possible and as soon as his feet made contact with the ground, he surveyed for the watchful gaze of the spy. He _felt_ the eyes on his back. Sure enough, there was a silhouetted figure about twenty feet off, staring right at him. It made his hair stand on end and sent a shiver down his spine. Ash pulled out his phone and as he reached into his pocket, inconspicuously dropped Charizard’s ball on the ground behind him. He started walking in the direction of the meet up location. 

He was counting the minutes in his head. Three minutes passed. Pikachu’s turn. Ten minutes. Charizard would be coming out of his Pokeball now, hopefully. Soon enough, Ash was there. He could see guards outside the plane, whose landing board was down (awesome, he could sneak on through that, or maybe under the cars like he always did?) The silhouette of the spy seemed to join the ranks, eyes hopefully no longer on him.

He was right outside the city, trees lining the edge of the road and buildings ending about three hundred feet away from him. Okay. He could do this.

As he was surveying the area, he could see _her_ come out! It looked as though she was going to address the men, and as she began talking, they all turned to her. All eyes away from him. Perfect. He crouched low, hiding behind trees or any cover he could find, before making it to one of the trucks, and hiding under. They were still running on and off the plane. Odd, he would’ve thought, if he wasn’t so preoccupied.

As soon as Ash hid under the truck, one of them went up the ramp and into the ship. It parked, and when it was safe, he emerged and made his way to the hallways. (By this point, sad as it was, he knew his way around the plane way better than he should have. He’d been here quite a few times.) Every bone in his body screamed at him that he should run, that he shouldn’t come closer to danger. He pushed that aside to focus on Riolu. Since there were still guards patrolling the hallways, Ash decided to try the ventilation system like he had before, and, surprisingly, it went without a hitch. So, by the time he was almost to the control room, only then did alarm bells start going off in his head.

This was _way_ too easy. The guard had specified he would be watched very closely, and it had never been this easy before. He felt so stupid that he hadn’t noticed it earlier. But, he decided to take the luck he could get, and made his way into the room he was sure Riolu’s stone statue would be. The closer he got, the closer he felt the Pokemon’s distressed aura. As he walked closer to the container, ready to de-stonify the Pokemon, he felt extremely urgent and panicked. It felt as though the world closed in on him, that his heart was being crushed by an anvil weighing thousands of pounds, that he couldn’t see. He couldn’t breathe, and he almost crumpled, barely managing to keep standing. The hair on his neck rose and he felt a presence behind him. Riolu had been _warning him!_

Ash could barely think as he felt the walls pressing in on him, but he pushed the lever down to release the young Riolu as he whipped around to look at Hunter J, his wild eyes meeting her cold and predatory gaze.

“Hello _Ash._ How _wonderful_ to see you again. I thought you were instructed to turn yourself in, _not_ sneak onto my ship. Such a naughty, ignorant boy.” She released her Drapion. “Don’t you think a disobedient _fool_ deserves punishment, Drapion?”

It smiled (somehow), taking a fighting stance.

Her words were angry, but there was mirth in her eyes, grinning like a Meowth with a Rattata in her paws, toying with him but already knowing she’d won. She was playing with her food. Ash felt frozen, still panicking from Riolu, but the Pokemon calmed at least slightly knowing Ash was there. Her eyes, staring into his soul, rooted him to the spot. But this time, he would not fail. He would save Riolu.

“Hunter J,” (his voice was _not_ shaking!) “I am turning myself in on the belief that you will return Riolu safely to the Pokemon Center. Are you upholding the deal?”

She laughed, a choppy, unnatural sound that grated on his ears and made every single hair stand on end. “Oh, you’re so _stupid!”_ You _honestly_ believed I would make a deal with a fool like you?”

His eyes widened. He had _not_ planned on this! “So what? You’re gonna take Riolu _and_ me?”

Ash’s voice now held the tone that he only reserved for the big bad guys. For rampaging legendaries, for evil teams trying to end the world. The fear he’d held for her before was morphing into anger as he pushed the previous feelings aside.

“Of course! Do you think you can _stop_ me?”

Ash turned around to free Riolu entirely from his prison. He would fight, alright! But where were Charizard and PIkachu?

Right then, as if they’d both realized Ash had been in there too long for everything to be going as planned, the two Pokemon rushed in to battle with Ash. (Maybe they’d heard his yell. Maybe Pikachu and him really could share their feelings across distances, not through aura, but through their heartstrings tied together.)

And with that, he stood on an even playing field. Even as Hunter J released her Salamence, it was three against two. He could take her on. He could _win. “_ Charizard, Flamethrower! Riolu, Aura Sphere! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!” 

They all attacked with all they had. And J was content to stand back, ordering her Pokemon with not much urgency at all. A Hyper Beam there, a Poison Sting there, if only to block the attacks thrown against her by Ash’s Pokemon. With her nonchalance, they clearly had the upper hand, and were making progress. He had to wonder why she was so uncaring. Did she know something he didn’t?

He was in the middle of calling out a Volt Tackle for Pikachu when he felt the crippling panic from before, but _a thousand times worse._ His throat seemed to close up, tears springing to his eyes, crumpling to the floor and curling up, trying not to choke. Beside him, Riolu’s behavior was in perfect synchronicity with his own. Pikachu and Charizard immediately stopped their attacks in favor of rushing to Ash’s side. He had no idea what was wrong, it was nothing physically. As he clawed at his throat fighting for air, J walked up next to him with a sick sort of delight displayed on her features. She had a remote control in her hand.

“Wonderful, isn’t it? I’ve implanted a device into your Riolu that can access a Pokemon’s aura and _twist it!_ It is likely feeling like there is impending doom, like it’s very life force is at risk of dying. Everything must be torturous right now, for it. I’ve been wondering if your connection would effect you, too, and clearly it does. _Hurts, doesn’t it?”_

He felt as though that beating, breathing core of energy inside of him was being crushed into a million pieces, glued together again, and then stretched until it broke. He was as pale as a sheet and he’d never felt so terrified in his life. Tears were streaming down his face yet he couldn’t even feel it. Pikachu screamed “Pika _pi!”_ Pushing on his face and trying to snap his trainer out of it. Riolu was in the same condition as Ash.

She’d only been humoring him in the battle. She could’ve done this from the very beginning. She’d just playing with him, toying with him. A Meowth toying with her food. He was a Rattata caught in a trap from the beginning. She’d _wanted_ him to sneak on board, wanted to _punish_ him. But he wouldn’t submit! Ash _wouldn’t give up!_ He wouldn’t give in to it! He was the hero! He wouldn’t fail again. He didn’t care if it _killed_ him, _goddamnit, he was going to save Riolu!_

And so, with tremendous effort, muscles clenching so tightly against his will he could barely move them, he stood. He scooped up Riolu and yelled to Charizard. “Out! Now! Come on!”And hopped on the dragon-like Pokemon’s back, Charizard trying with what little room he had in the room to open his wings. Pikachu hopped on, clinging to Ash’s hair, as the reptile barreled past Hunter J and her Pokemon, ignoring her shout. And, suddenly! 

It was _so much worse._

What he felt before paled in comparison to what he felt now. He felt as though he was going to internally combust, and at some point he just felt his consciousness leave his body. He no longer felt there. He no longer really took in what happened. The world blended into nothing but noises and colors as his brain shut down to protect him from the damage his aura was taking.

But he was knocked back into his body when they were out of the ship! And the frigid night air brought him back to awareness and they were flying and escaping and J was aiming her laser at them and she was on her Salamence chasing them and they were dodging but they couldn’t keep dodging and they were going to be hit so Ash ordered Charizard to land so at least they wouldn’t have their backs turned on her anymore. She was after _Ash,_ not after Charizard or Pikachu, and they didn’t deserve to take the damage for him.

But then they were facing her and fighting again, and Ash was still fighting the aura. Riolu was down for the count (Oh, it must be so much _worse for him!)_ So it was just Charizard and Pikachu against her and her laser and against the henchmen who were quickly calling out their Pokemon and this felt so much like the other night that it was painful, but this time he didn’t even have a building against his back, he was just completely surrounded! And he wasn’t going to get out of this one. Not in one piece, and not with everyone. And so, he called “Charizard! Take Riolu and fly out of here as fast as you can! Here’s Riolu’s ball! As fast as you can, _please_! I’ll distract her!” 

And Charizard roared at him that he wouldn’t leave Ash here, but then Ash yelled back, and it was filled with so much conviction, so much anger, so much determination, that even the mighty dragon felt cowed by barely five foot tall boy in front of him. And so, as fast as he could, Charizard took to the skies, going high and going far. He dodged the first couple lasers aimed at him, but then there were no more.

Less than a second after Charizard took flight with a nearly catatonic Riolu on his back, Ash ran straight for Hunter J and tackled her. He didn’t care about anything. He just tackled her, ignoring her cries, the Poison Sting aimed at his back, unflinchingly refusing to submit. He fought, tooth and nail, ripping the laser off of her wrist where it was attached, biting when he could. He was certain he drew blood from the woman when he tasted copper. She growled and cried out and ordered her Pokemon to attack him. He didn’t _care!_

Thankfully, Pokemon and men were reluctant to attack him because boy and woman, hero and villain were so tangled up they would have certainly hit her as well and they were not willing to attack their leader. And he took advantage of their hesitation because as soon as Ash dislodged the laser from Hunter J’s wrist, he booked it as fast as humanly possible out of there, running and ignoring the pain in his chest, not even checking behind for Pikachu, knowing he’d be right behind him. And the men tried to grab him, but he ducked under their arms, and they quickly made chase. Ash knew it would only be maybe 10 seconds before he was caught and subdued and so he ran for the cover of the forest like it was the last thing he would ever do. (Maybe it would be, who knew?)

Ash knew what he had to do. He knew it was inevitable that he was going to be caught. But he wasn’t going to be alone. And he absolutely hated to do this. _Hated!_ He swore he’d _never! Never!_ But, he couldn’t. There was no other way. Not now. There was no escape. And so, as he made it into the trees, at least so there wouldn’t be enough light to see what he did, PIkachu jumped on his shoulder. And, as he dodged left and right to avoid attacks, to avoid running into branches, he breathlessly said “Buddy, I’m so so _so sorry,_ but I need to put you in your ball. I’m gonna be caught. I don’t want you turned into stone. Please!”

Pikachu only nodded. And he _knew_ the sacrifice his little buddy was making, but he couldn’t do anything now, couldn’t think anything now, didn’t have time. So he ripped it off of the necklace, and enlarged it, and tapped it onto his best friend. He tried to stay quiet, but he still let out a little yowl as he was sucked in. Ash felt absolutely _awful._ But as soon as red light disappeared, he shrunk the ball until it was flat, fumbled to put it back on the chain, and hid it under the shirt. And _just in time,_ because then he was grabbed and manhandled until he couldn’t move, could barely even struggle, and even though he still tried, it was futile.

It all came crashing down on him again, that panic of that aura. He felt like he was choking again, and he was barely conscious by the time a disheveled looking Hunter J was brought into his field of vision. She looked ready to _kill him_. He, without a doubt, knew that she would if she wasn’t getting paid so much to catch him instead. She roughly (with bloody fingers, he now realized, that came from his teeth) grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. “You’re finally _mine._ And _believe me,_ you will _pay_ for everything that happened tonight. I will _break you_ before you’re delivered.”

He could barely keep his eyes open, but he knew he was _really_ screwed. The only things that gave him hope were the warm spot over his heart where Pikachu lay, that Riolu and Charizard were (hopefully) safe, and that his phone had a tracker.

He hoped that they weren’t too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmk what you think!
> 
> Also, if anyone recognized the flattened Pikachu ball, that idea popped into my head from when I read "The Blind Alley" by Enchanted_Hats years ago. I would suggest you read that! It's really good and one of my favorites if not my absolute favorite Pokemon fic out there.


	7. Battle Me, Coward!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're in big trouble now.
> 
> Featuring one(1) angry Ash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so! Literally this started out with one (1) swear word in it, but it gets worse with each chapter. It's not too bad, but if that bothers you, just be aware!

Kellyn shot up when he heard yelling and crashes, faintly, likely coming from the lobby. It sounded just like that first time, when Ash had crashed in, and that thought had him up and out of bed, rushing to investigate what had caused the commotion. Was it Ash again? He _swore to Arceus,_ that kid was going to be the death of him. The stress was already giving him grays and he’d barely hit his twentieth birthday. His feet carried him to the Center lobby and he was not prepared for the sight he saw. A Charizard, the one he was sure had been fighting alongside Ash the night before, and Joy rushing to his side, quickly taking hold of the _Riolu!_ If Kellyn wasn’t mistaken, this was the Riolu that had been taken by J. Now, here it was, catatonic, breathing heavily, unresponsive, riding on the back of Ash’s Charizard who didn’t look too good himself.

Both Pokemon were without their trainer, and, although Kellyn had made sure Ash had gone to sleep in his Center room with Brock, he had the sinking feeling that were he to check, he would not find the boy. Quickly, he dialed the former gym leader, and after three, four, five rings, he finally picked up, a groggy voice on the other side of the line. “Kellyn? What are you doing waking me up at” a pause. “one-o’clock in the morning?”

He tried to stay calm. “Is Ash in there with you?”

“Of course he is, he went to sleep with me—“

“Is he in there with you? Check!”

He heard shuffling, and then nothing except for a slight intake of breath. “He’s…not. What is this about?”

Shoot. He knew something was wrong. And he was certain it had to do with a certain Pokemon Hunter, especially considering the absence of the boy she was set on kidnapping and the presence of the Pokemon she had caught. “I think he’s in trouble. Get Dawn, come down to the lobby as soon as you can. I’ll tell you what’s happening then and once I figure out more myself.”

He hung up before the other could say anything in response. Time to call Ash. It rang, and rang, and a tense 30 seconds passed before it went to voicemail. No response. Shit. He pulled up the tracker he’d gotten on Ash’s phone and went to find his location. Double shit. What was he doing outside the city?

Kellyn wanted nothing more than to run outside then and there and find Ash, but he knew he had to find out more about what happened. Unfortunately, Mr. Pokemon translator would have been really helpful right at that moment, but he was the one they were trying to find (and save, probably). It seemed impossible for that boy not to get himself into trouble, big trouble. (He had no idea the extent.)

When Joy reappeared without Riolu, Kellyn joined in step with her. “What happened here?”

She tersely explained that the Charizard had crashed into there, in extreme distress, seemingly trying to get help. (For Ash, probably. This was going to turn into one big shitshow, wasn’t it?) Charizard could barely be reasoned with, and as soon as he’d let her have access to the Riolu and his ball, he’d only gotten angrier and more distressed, anxiously looking back and wanting to pull her out. That was the shape he was in now, roaring at them angrily. Kellyn walked over to Ash’s Pokemon.

“Charizard, did you come here to get help? Is it for Ash? Is he in trouble?”

Charizard roared in agreement, his wild eyes looking back and every muscle in his body pulling at him to go back to wherever Ash was. “What happened? Did Hunter J come here to kidnap him again?”

A pause, and then his head shook back and forth.

“…Did Ash go there?”

An affirmative. What was he _thinking?_ Clearly Ash had wanted to get Riolu back, he’d expressed as much, and walked around depressed all day. Kellyn had wanted to as well, but the hurt boy took top priority, because he knew that Ash would adamantly refuse to stay behind from the rescue mission (and his aura tracking abilities would prove useful) so the boy needed to at least be able to function without collapsing. But Ash _probably_ wouldn’t have just run off with no clue where to go except his aura. There had to be something else.

“Did Ash plan this? Did you know about this beforehand?”

A hesitation, then a nod. Kellyn was trying really hard not to get angry at the trainer, and at that point, a disheveled but anxious Brock and Dawn hurried into the lobby, demanding to know what was going on. Kellyn quickly explained what he knew and what he suspected, trying to ignore their own expressions of frustration, worry, and fear for their friend. Brock approached Charizard, and, at the familiar trainer’s kind words, he considerably calmed. Unfortunately they couldn’t hold a real conversation with the Pokemon without a translator, but they would do what they could.

Brock started “So Ash planned to leave, _by himself,_ to go and save Riolu and take on Hunter J. We don’t know if something else happened, if he was contacted or received some other clue. He seemed very preoccupied all day, which suggests that he might have known about something since this morning. The rest of Ash’s Pokemon are safe: Charizard and Riolu here, Turtwig, Staravia, and Buizel in their balls. Pikachu isn’t here, and I’m guessing he’s with Ash, because there’s no way Ash wouldn’t have taken him. But why didn’t he take the rest of his Pokemon? I know he doesn’t always seem the smartest and doesn’t always think before he jumps into danger, but he’s smarter than to leave most of his Pokemon behind for no reason. There must have been a reason. He left, taking Charizard and Pikachu with him, likely encountered Hunter J, and now you can track his phone to find out where he is. Charizard came here, looking for help for Ash, with Riolu in bad shape. Ash is probably in worse. He can fight for himself, but he’s still exhausted and has an injured arm, and J’s forces are strong, determined, and fight like they’ve got nothing left to lose. Ash doesn’t stand a chance. We need to get to him, _now!”_

And so, on Staraptor, Ash’s Staravia and Charizard, the three flew out to Ash’s location. And they got there, but everything was gone. Ash wasn’t here, but the phone still said he was. Alarm bells went off in his head. Something bad happened here. The ground was disturbed, many a tree on the outskirts were black from fire and some were damaged or knocked over. There was evidence of a fight, here, but everyone had left already. They were too late.

As they spread out to investigate the scene, Kellyn followed the tracker exactly to Ash’s location, and sure enough, there it was. His phone, abandoned on the ground, cracked and dusty (after only a couple days!) This was bad. There’d been a struggle, Ash was _gone,_ and their method of tracking him was now obsolete. There was blood on the floor, and he really hoped that it wasn’t Ash’s.

He called Brock and Dawn over to show them. As he did, he sent the flying Pokemon to the skies to see what they could find. He knew Hunter J’s ship could camouflage itself until it was practically invisible in the sky, but hopefully they could find _something._

_-.-.-.-_

His heart pounded as his eyes shot open. Panic quickly rose and he had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from yelling. Where _was_ he? Why did his head hurt so much, why did his arm hurt so much? Ash was getting _really_ tired of waking up in unfamiliar surroundings, forced to scramble to figure out where he was. This wasn’t the room in the Pokemon Center, whether a single or with Brock. He wasn’t at the Pokemon Center at all, he didn’t think. Even though the cots there were uncomfortable, they weren’t _this_ uncomfortable. Metal dug into his back, and he didn’t even think this was a bed. Ash had a vague feeling of motion sickness even though it didn’t actively feel as though he was moving. Not in a car, not on a boat. There was a low rumble that was starting to grate on his head, though, and a pressure building up behind his ears that made him hurt.

That only happened at high altitudes. So, a plane? And, _oh._ Hunter J. Her bloody fingers yanking his head to look into her icy stare. The panic of his aura, of Riolu. Charizard flying away. Pikachu in his ball. _Pikachu!_ As his body shook, heart pounding, he grasped the chain laying against his heart. Even though his buddy was in his ball (something he hadn’t done for over _four years!),_ he could feel their hearts beating in perfect synchronicity, feel his partner’s concern for his trainer, and he could feel the love they shared between each other. Only then was he able to gasp, to breathe, only then did he no longer feel as though he was drowning, water filling his lungs (he’d drowned enough times by now that it wasn’t a new feeling to him. Didn’t make it any more bearable whenever it happened.)

So, Ash was on Hunter J’s ship. Looking around, he could see he was in a cell. Walls on all sides, no windows, nothing except the cold metal bench he’d been laying on. There wasn’t much to work with, as far as an escape. There was only one entrance, and that was the _very_ heavy-looking door, no doubt locked up tightly and likely guarded. He wasn’t going to get out that way.

It looked pretty hopeless, but he felt better knowing that he had one advantage they didn’t know about. He _wasn’t alone._ He had Pikachu with him. Even just knowing that made him feel a million times better. He would get out of this. He’d done it before, and he could do it again. (Although this time, he was pretty sure, it was the first time he’d ever been targeted specifically, and that still terrified him. At least, though, he’d had several days to deal with it, and that time to process it meant that it was no longer clouding his judgement, intruding his thoughts until it was all he could think about (rare, rare.))

And, there. There was a vent up at the top of his cell. Surprisingly, he couldn’t see a camera in there, but he didn’t doubt there was one hidden. Still, escaping was better than sitting idly by. Giving up meant that they’d already won, and he’d never let them win before. He was known, by friends and opponents alike, for being an outside-of-the-box thinker. It had gotten him out of more than a few tough battles and seemingly unsolvable situations with legendaries and criminals, and it would get him out of this one too.

The ceiling was way too high for him to climb up to, though, and there was nothing to climb on. He knew that he shouldn’t take out Pikachu now. He wanted to keep his surprise element a surprise.

And so, he catalogued the items in the cell again. No windows. A bed (more like a steel bench). A ceiling that, where, if he stood on the bench, was still a foot and a half higher than he could reach. Not for the first time, he cursed his lacking height. He’d been teased for it for years, and he grumbled in frustration. …Ash wondered. If he was just able to get the vent open, then he could jump into it! But the panels were flat and there was nothing big enough his fingers could fit into. He could’ve, if it was lower, but it wasn’t, and so he was stuck, feeling helpless, looking at the ceiling.

He needed some sort of rope, or hook, that he could get in there. If he could attach some sort of hook to a shoelace? He didn’t have his new bag on him; he’d left it at the Pokemon Center because he didn’t want to lose it twice were his plan to go awry. And go awry it certainly did. Experimentally, Ash undid the chain around his neck. This was more weighted than just a shoelace, and if he was _just_ able to…! 

The vent clanged metal on metal as he whipped the chain (making sure that Pikachu’s ball was safe) at the vent. No luck. But, it seemed like it could work if he got it just right! Clang! Clang! Clang, clang, clang, went the clash of metal on metal, adjusting his aim ever so slightly each time. Fortunately, he had a good arm for throwing and a natural aim, from all his practice throwing Pokeballs. And, just barely! The metal went through the slats of the vent. If only he could get it back out the other side…and it immediately slid out and hit the floor.

Okay, again. He could do this. After quite a few more failed tries, he managed to get the chain to in one slat and out the other. He had to let go in order to not pull it down (if only he was taller!) and aimed his jump very carefully. He needed to grab the two ends perfectly, pull them down, and _hopefully_ not let the vent hit the floor. He’d been loud enough with a chain; a whole vent cover would be loud enough to attract him attention (if he wasn’t already being watched by a camera, which he had the sinking feeling that he was). And…perfect! He grabbed the chain, pulled it down, and managed to catch the cover before it hit the floor.

Ash carefully placed it down, before stepping onto the bench again and gearing himself up for a high jump. He’d done this before, he’d assured himself. He’d jumped onto the trailing rope of Team Rocket’s balloon as they tried to escape with Pikachu, he’d jumped into trees, and off of cliffs to catch Pokemon. He could do this simple jump. And, with a swing of his arms, he reached his hands into the now open vent and just hung for a moment, and ow! White hot pain flashed through his left arm and he’d _forgotten!_ He almost dropped, with how much it hurt, and how much it reminded him of hanging on to not fall off the building, last night, and of being grasped with Staravia’s talons. Scrunching up his face and trying not to scream, he let his right arm do most of the pulling as he lifted himself into the vent, and he was finally there.

It wasn’t as though, even if there wasn’t a camera, someone who came to check on Ash wouldn’t be able to easily see where he’d gone. He left the vent open and the cover on the floor. But for now, he was cramped, face down, breathing hard, and put Pikachu’s ball back on his neck and under his shirt for safekeeping.

Dust found its way into his lungs and he tried his hardest not to hack into a coughing fit. Take a breath in, hold it, close your eyes, focus on something else. Breathe out. Again. Soon, he was okay, and he wiggled on his stomach down what he could only hope was the right direction (whatever that was. Was it to the control room again, so he could jump out the hatch? But _Hunter J_ was there! Maybe to the cargo hold or to the actual exit, so he could hide.

Ash cringed as he made more noise than he intended, wiggling through the cramped metal vents not an easy task. But soon the motions became autopilot and he felt his mind wandering to his friends. Was Riolu okay? Did Charizard fly them both to safety? Did J’s men go after them and catch them? Had his friends noticed he was missing? Surely, if Charizard and Riolu had gotten back safely, they would have immediately noticed something was wrong. He cursed under his breath as he felt for his phone with no luck. He’d dropped it, he was pretty sure, when he was wrestling with the Pokemon Hunter, or maybe when he was running with Pikachu. But Kellyn couldn’t track him. Could Riolu, like he’d done before when the roles were reversed?

Were Dawn and Brock okay? Were they worried? Were his other Pokemon okay? He was sure that even if his friends knew, his Pokemon at the ranch, Chimchar and Gliscor, didn’t. He was honestly glad. Chimchar would certainly blame himself, and that was _so_ far from the truth! 

Soon enough, he heard voices. Her icy one, and a vaguely familiar one that didn’t echo in the same way, indicating this was a call, rather than in person. And, when he listened to the words, he suddenly knew where the other voice was from.

A man spoke with J. “…successfully secured the boy?”

“I have.” That was _her!_

“And I trust you still have the Riolu that can use Aura Sphere?”

A pause.

“Unfortunately, the _boy_ managed to free it, but it won’t be long. It was in bad shape when it escaped, and it will be easy retrieving it.”

“Since you have the boy now, I would rather you hand him over to me as soon as possible. We don’t want to lose him _again,_ seeing as you’re not very good at keeping your catches with me. You’ve lost your touch, J.”

A growl, muted and controlled. “I will send you a suitable location for a trade off. I expect the payment for the boy as soon as I hand him over. Meet me there in exactly three hours.”

Ash gasped. _Three hours?_ This was _awful!_ Not only was he hearing the buyer and _Hunter J_ talk about selling him (!!!), but he wouldn’t have much time to escape. The reality was hitting him of how hopeless this really seemed. He was alone, kidnapped, probably on the other side of Sinnoh by now, his friends with no clue to where he is, injured, with a sick _bitch_ who was hellbent on selling him to a sick _bastard_ who wanted to buy a human being and a Pokemon! He clenched his fists as he tried really hard not to cry, or maybe to growl, or to yell in frustration and anger, or just to crumble at hopelessness.

He was _sure_ J had heard him, that gasp, considering the pause in conversation. Even though he couldn’t see, he could _feel_ the tension in that room rise. There was no getting out of this, now. He grasped Pikachu’s ball. Three hours. That would be enough time if he was able to get out of the ship right now, but he had no flyers! No one to catch him on the fall, this time around. He’d have to escape once they hit ground, but by then there would be not only her men, but the buyers’ too, out to get him! One fourteen-year-old boy (admittedly, one that could fell legendaries and had little to no fear of death, considering how many times he’d already died) against tens of men who probably had Pokemon, in unfamiliar territory. He was freaking out about the unbeatable odds already, and he wasn’t even there yet! Three hours.

He didn’t even know how long it’d been since he’d left the Center.

He could hear the smirk in her voice as she said “Oh, come out, come out, you little _fool!_ You’re _mine_ now, and you can’t escape!”

Damnit. The chills crawling up his spine doubled in intensity, wracking his whole body with a shiver as he heard the man on the other end join in on her chuckle. A pop and a hiss and one of her Pokemon was out, though he couldn’t tell just from the noise, until a “Drapionnn!” was hissed. “Drapion, Poison Sting at the ceiling!”

It did as it was told and somehow a couple permeated through the thin metal to hit him and he grit his teeth. He needed to get out now and take action immediately before she had a chance to do anything. While Hunter J was busy laughing, watching her Pokemon repeatedly send glowing purple spikes at the ceiling, Ash located the vent exit a couple feet away from him. He shimmied over to the cover, prepped, and then kicked it out and onto the floor. As soon as he did, he jumped down, hit the floor with a roll, immediately kept running, and went to the controls of the ship. He’d been here before. He hit all the levers up to the highest they could be, pushing buttons, ignoring her shouts and then the stingers in his back, crying out and biting down hard to ignore the pain. He felt something coming up behind him and lunged to the side, dodging her grasps.

The plane jarringly tilted to the left. Ash was braced for it, and so didn’t fall, but J and her Drapion did. He went to the lever that opened the hatch like it did last time and carefully ran up to it. He knew he couldn’t just jump up, but there had to be a way where he could climb to the outside of the ship! It was too late to think about how he hadn’t thought this plan through up to this points, and he didn’t have time. He had to _go, right now,_ because there was murder in her eyes as she regained her footing and tried to approach him. He braced his hands on the edge and lowered his body down, ignoring the pain in his arm for the millionth time. It was bleeding, again, he realized belatedly. But then she was almost _there_ and so he looked on the outside and thank _Arceus,_ there were metal rods sticking out of the side that served as a ladder. He reached, practically jumping to hang onto the bar. He wanted to _scream,_ his arm hurt so badly, but he’d dealt with worse before, always had, when he was taking Pikachu’s attacks, when he was thrown against walls, when he was blasted by the flames of a legendary, when he slid down snowy hills and jumped off cliffs and landed at the bottom, somehow managing not to die. Ash had dealt with worse, and he was going to ignore the pain now because he had more pressing matters to deal with. He reached to the next one, and since he was near the bottom of the ship, it felt more like monkey bars than a ladder. But as he climbed, grasping so tightly his knuckles turned white, his hands were sweating and his fingers hurt, he became more upright, and then he could go faster. But then he heard a roar, and spared a glance below him to see Salamence emerging from a red light and Hunter J hopping onto its back. _Shitshitshitshitshit!_ There was nowhere to go from here but up and she had the advantage. Once he went up, where would he go? He tried to climb faster,but then she called out “Hyper Beam!” and did she _want_ him to fall to his death?

That question was quickly answered when she called another, and he knew that she really did want him dead, if he weren’t so valuable to her. But he could only move so much, and the third one hit true. This hurt _so much worse_ and he was amazed he was still conscious by the end of it, more than a little burnt. He couldn’t control his momentary lapse in consciousness, though, as he let go and then suddenly he was free falling and there was _nothing he could do_ and he was surely miles above the ground, it looked so small, and he closed his eyes, and thought _This is it,_ and clutched the ball around his neck tightly. _Sorry buddy._

But then he wasn’t falling anymore, but this time he couldn’t stop the scream that pushed its way out of his lungs as Salamence used its talons to catch him by the arms and surely she took some _sick_ sense of delight in this because she _knew_ he was injured and she knew she was making it worse. He was sure she’d seen the blood, before, and now, too. And he’d rather his arm fall off because it _hurt so much_ and this time he really couldn’t stop the way his vision went out and suddenly there was nothing and when he became aware again they were flying back into the ship and then she was _grabbing him_ , digging her own sharpened acrylics into the wound, dragging him into the center of the room before letting him go and standing above him.

Ash could barely see straight, barely see at all. His entire brain (no matter how much he was trying, _trying_ to ignore it) was focused on the blood rushing down his arm, the throbbing pain of the wounds, and his right was bad again now, too, but he somehow still had the audacity (or the bravery or stupidity) to try and spit in her face when she leaned down low to smirk in his face. 

He knew it was a mistake the second he did it, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. She snapped her fingers and then her Drapion grabbed him in its claws like it had before and _squeezed_ him, tightly, and he couldn’t breathe, and he had to shut his eyes again. The hold loosened ever so slightly when she prompted “Oh come now, I know you want him to suffer just as much as I do, but we don’t want him fainting again, do we? No, I want to have a little _chat.”_

Ash was hacking, coughing, trying to gain back the breath he’d lost, but he didn’t spit in her face when she leaned in close again. “Listen here, fool. You have no idea how badly I want to murder you in the most painful ways possible right now. I would suggest that you follow my directions from now on. After all, we wouldn’t want _this”_ She dug her nails into his arm and he couldn’t suppress the yell “to happen again, would we? Be a good little boy for the next three hours. Do you think you can do that?”

He wanted to yell in her face, to do anything, but for the first time, he stayed quiet. No matter how much every bone in his body wanted to punch her until she saw stars, he’d rather be able to actually use his arms when he tried to escape again.

A slight chuckle and the look of someone who knew she’d won. “Good.” And then she let the silence sit, growing heavier with each ragged breath Ash took, wanting her to just _do_ whatever she was going to do already. The tension coursed through his veins and through the room, and her smile just grew larger. She was disgusting! He thought, anger coming in to mingle with the fear. She hunted and sold Pokemon and now _people_ without any regard for their lives, just for a quick buck. People like her were the _worst_ types of people! Sure, Team Magma and Aqua were objectively more dangerous because they had larger teams and legendary Pokemon, but at least they had more noble goals, and at least believed what they were doing was just. She just! She was _awful!_

He saw red and wanted more than anything just to struggle, and break free, and punch her face in (punching Hunter J had been on his bucket list since he’d first seen her, but in the past 36 hours it had taken a top spot). But her threat still lingered on his mind, and he honestly didn’t know if his arms would even follow his commands, so instead he just clenched his fists and tried to keep his growl mostly inaudible. Judging on her delighted expression, he knew she’d noticed his anger and it only made her more satisfied.

“You have been a thorn in my side for far, _far_ too long. I don’t know how someone as useless and incompetent as a _child_ could manage to do what you have, but you have anyway, through your insufferable idealism, stupid recklessness, and misguided heroics. That ends here and now. I would love _nothing_ more than to give you a more painful death than you can imagine. _Nothing more._ But you, you are valuable. _Rare_. An aura-using human? And one with your level of power?”

She jerked her arm out as though she was performing before a grand audience, near-hysterical. Her eyes, fixed straight on him, held an untamed wildness in them, that, paired with her sick smile, struck fear into his heart. She stared into his soul hungrily, as though she were predator and he were her prey. She knew she’d won, and she enjoyed watching her catch cornered, savoring her power. She was unhinged.

“You wouldn’t believe the price you have fetched. And, in my research, I came across something rather interesting, and I have raised my price as such. Do such things as _Shamouti Island_ ring a bell in your mind?”

Oh no. 

“Or perhaps Alamos Town? You’ve been _around_. You’re a legendary magnet. An Aura User. You’ve been in prophecies. You’re even rarer than I believed. I wonder, why would the League let someone such as you wander the world, doing what you do? Surely it would be more useful to _use_ you and your powers for more…profitable purposes.”

He’d gone paler, now, and the only movement was the slight twitching of his hands and the shaking of his head. His jaw was clenched.

“Their loss, I suppose. Though it does beg the question…”

She approached him, fingers gently caressing his chin. “What could _I_ stand to gain from that power? We have three hours left, and you’re helpless. Now be a good little boy, and follow my orders.”

That’s it. That was it. Ash was not going to sit there (hang there, still in Drapion’s claws) and do nothing while she spoke like that, while she smiled like that. He snarled, and bit out a “Fuck you!”

And just like that, her smile turned down and her eyebrows furrowed angrily. She dug her nails into his face as she jerked it next to hers, until they were almost touching and all her could see was those eyes, her manic gaze morphing into one full of fury.

“Silence, boy! Why do you continue to resist? You have no hope of escape and I have no qualms about hurting you! You would do best to submit quietly!”

A growl crawled its way into Ash’s voice. “I will _never_ go down quietly! I will never let people like you get the power you so clearly do not deserve. You are a heartless, stone cold _bitch_ who has never felt love and can never feel love! All that talk about power, about what I can do, you have _no right!_ You have _no right_ to steal Pokemon and sell them! You are the worst kind of person, and I’m tired of all your high and mighty bullshit. Pokemon are living creatures, do you not realize that? They can feel, and love, and have relationships! They believe in each other, and I believe in them. I love my Pokemon and they love me, and _that_ is what makes us strong! You have _no right_ to decide that they don’t deserve that. You have no right to decide that I don’t deserve to be safe, that your quick buck is more important than my life and wellbeing, and all the Pokemon you have stolen before!

“People and Pokemon are meant to live in harmony. We are meant to place our trust in each other, to find our own ways in life working together. It doesn’t matter if you’re a trainer, or a coordinator, or a breeder, or a doctor! What does matter is your choice in how you treat your Pokemon. You are meant to treat them as though they matter, as equals, because that is what they are. They are _friends,_ not _property!_ Not something to be stolen and sold! Their lives matter! Their feelings matter. _Your choice to continue to hurt the livelihoods of living beings is where you have gone wrong, J. I will not stand idly by while you commit crime after crime. Face me!_ ”

With that, Ash enlarged Pikachu’s ball and let his partner out. The yellow mouse materialized in a daze, but with a quick look back at Ash and then at J, he shifted into a battle stance. “You really think I’ve ever been alone? You’re wrong! I always have my Pokemon with me! You will never win, Hunter J. _Battle me_!”

She gave a huff and then smirked. “Very well, then. If I win, then I will do all the experiments on you that I want to and will take and sell your Pikachu. I will go back to get the Riolu and I will continue to catch and sell Pokemon.”

“If I win, you’ll let me go, and stop your crimes, for _good!_ ”

“We don’t have to negotiate those terms, _boy._ I am going to win!”

She released her Salamence and instructed her Drapion to let Ash go so it could fight against him. When his feet hit the ground, he stumbled, weak from the blood loss and unsteady. After a moment, he regained his footing and looked Pikachu in the eyes.

“Let’s do this, buddy! You and me together, til the end! Fight the hardest you’ve ever fought and don’t stop until you’ve won! I believe in you, and we believe in each other. Let’s show her I’m not just all talk!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments well appreciated! We're really getting to the thick of it now! Again, like I mentioned last time, this chapter especially draws a lot of inspiration from "The Blind Alley" so I suggest you read that if you like this!


	8. The Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's time to show her what we can do, buddy! Give it all you got! Our souls, beating together, give us the strength to win, once and for all!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so he doesn't in this chapter, but don't worry Ash WILL PUNCH J eventually :)

He started out with a devastating Thunder Bolt. A massive, electrically charged beam shot out of the small mouse and split into two, striking each of the opposing Pokemon. J was quick to respond with a “Flamethrower, Salamence, at the Pikachu! Poison Sting at the boy!”

A powerful burst of orange flames licked Pikachu’s back as he jumped to the side to dodge most of the damage. Ash’s eyes widened as glowing purple needles shot towards him, twisting to get out of their trajectory. “Playing dirty, Hunter J?” Gone was his fear (at least, pushed to the side because there were more important matters and he needed to be at the top of his game), replaced by anger and a strange (hopefully not misplaced) cockiness and confidence. He’d battled her men before. He’d battled countless others like her before. He could beat her. He _would_ beat her. There was too much at stake not to.

She barely humored him with a response “Of course, _Ash,_ what did you expect?” 

At Ash’s command, Pikachu launched into a quick attack and hit Salamence head on. The dragon was pushed back only a few inches, and by that time Drapion had made a move at Pikachu with its claws, only just missing the mouse as he hopped out of the way and moved back to Ash. “Volt Tackle!” 

Energy cracked around them, fizzing and popping as Ash’s Pokemon built his electricity up, hopping around the control room in a zig zag pattern to disorient his opponents. “Okay buddy, now!” He launched from the side onto Drapion’s head, giving it the full damage, before carrying the momentum to crash into Salamence’s side, dealing some leftover harm. Meanwhile, Ash had to jump to the side but couldn’t completely escape the Dragon Pulse that brushed his back, making him bite down in pain. It was hard to focus on himself and on Pikachu too.

A well placed Cross Poison from Drapion caught Pikachu unawares. While he was recovering from the recoil damage, it took advantage of his close proximity and attacked with a point blank X-shaped purple glow full of poison. A strangled cry escaped the yellow mouse before Ash punched out an Aura Sphere to defend himself from a flamethrower, pillar of flames barely splitting in front of him and burning either side, stopped only by the flickering blue energy. His hair was singed and he could smell the smoke.

It was getting harder by the second to hold his own against the two powerful Pokemon while also defending himself. As a Hyper Beam and Poison Sting were both aimed a Pikachu, he called a “Counter Shield!” And he let out a Thunder Bolt while spinning on his back, electricity crackling out of him and forming a net-like circle. Who cared about the best offense when you could manage an offense and defense at the same time, after all? Ash smirked as the woman in front of him was taken a little aback by his strategy.

As a Pin Missile, glowing white needles shot towards him, Ash swiped his hand to the side, with it a blue energy emerging until he had a shield in front of him. “Hunter J, your evildoing stops right here, right now. I will _not_ let you continue your terrible crimes! You will lose this battle, and you will go to prison! Don’t _ever_ believe for a second that you will win this!”

With that, Ash decided to experiment. He gathered back the aura he’d just spread out to use as a shield, concentrated it in his hand, and mentally formed it to a point. He lurched his hand toward her and out came a pointed javelin of pure aura. She was forced to call Drapion to use a Cross Poison as a shield against the weapon of pure energy, but a smile formed on her face. There is was again. That manically intense gaze, focused right on him. That twisted, satisfied smile. Her own blue energy almost seemed to flicker in her eyes before her gaze hardened. “You are a _fool_ and for that you will pay!”

Ash ran and ducked to dodge the poison darts flinging towards him as Pikachu jumped, twisted, and landed an Iron Tail on Salamence’s head. It cried out in pain and Pikachu immediately followed with a close-range Thunder Bolt, sure to do damage. Sure enough, Salamence paused for a moment, looking like it was down for the count, before forcing itself back up when J yelled at it. It launched at Hyper Beam at the boy in front of her and Ash pushed another aura shield in front of himself. He formed the aura into a small shield in one hand that he could keep up continuously, rather than drawing all the energy from his core each time. It was less draining.

As the battle continued, though, he could feel his knees starting to shake. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. “Pikachu, focus a Thunder Bolt in your tail as you do Iron Tail! Finish off Salamence!”

Pikachu chanted as he launched into a powerful Thunder Bolt, concentrating his own electrical energy in his tail much as Ash had to concentrate his aura into his hands. Simultaneously, he charged up an Iron Tail and then attacked with devastating force point blank onto the dragon’s nose. It gave a mighty roar, eyes wide and frenzied, before crashing to the ground and not getting up. With a snarl, Hunter J pulled out its Pokeball and returned it. “Don’t get all cocky! Don’t think you’ve won! Now we’re on an even playing field, and you and your Pikachu both look exhausted!”

No! He would _not_ go down this easily! Ash and Pikachu, moving in perfect synchronicity, hearts beating together, bonds connecting their very souls, would fight until their very last breath, pouring blood, and sweat, and _tears_ into this battle until nothing remained of them or until they won. J would be stopped, right here, _right now!_

A Cross Poison was aimed at Pikachu and the mouse dodged it, running up to the Poison Type in a Quick Attack, gearing up an Iron Tail before his opponent clamped down on his tail. He let out a startled shriek “Pika?!” as Drapion attacked again with Cross Poison, but this time point-blank. He retaliated with a quick Thunder Bolt, just as damaging, but as he jumped away, he panted heavily, knees buckling before he pushed himself up again.

Pikachu was covered in scratches, bruises, and his muscles contracted painfully from where poison was starting to enter his bloodstream. Ash knew it. Pikachu knew it, and J knew it. Pikachu didn’t have much left in his small body. Sure, he was a Pokemon highly trained for battle, immense power stores held in his small cheeks, capable of felling Legendaries, but. There just wasn’t much left in him.

“Buddy, hang in there! You can do it! I believe in you! Let’s show her that’s what makes us strong!”

-.-.-

By the time Dawn, Brock, and Kellyn tramped back into the Pokemon Center, they were exhausted and trying not to seem like an anxious mess. Their best bet was to track him with Riolu, but it was a waiting game, and Nurse Joy said that Riolu wouldn’t be recovered until the morning. All of them tried, but it was hard to sleep, knowing that Ash was out there, alone, _again_ , and kidnapped by Hunter J, with only (hopefully) Pikachu with him. They had to put their trust in their friend.

Brock, out of everyone, seemed the least worried (although he was, he was terribly worried for the younger trainer, as though he was one of his younger siblings) because he’d been through the most dangerous situations. Brock knew that Ash was more than capable of handling himself. (But still, but _still!_ He was _fourteen,_ for Arceus’ sake.)

After a sleepless couple hours, tossing and turning (Brock’s room felt so much emptier now, without his traveling companion) the sun rose, and Kellyn was the first up and out of bed, running down to the lobby. He’d called Solana, during the wait, about how Ash was missing, he was with Hunter J, and he could have been halfway across Sinnoh by then. She was worried, but quickly responded and got Officer Jenny on the case too. After all, this was the boy that had helped the Rangers time and time again, not to mention the possibility that J was traveling towards a buyer (and wasn’t _that_ an unsettling thought, a buyer for a human) and if they played it right, they could save the trainer, catch the buyer, _and_ catch Hunter J and her team and lock them all up for good.

By the time Kellyn reached the counter, Nurse Joy took out two Pokeballs. Charizard’s and Riolu’s. They were healed! In an eerily similar moment to just a couple hours before that gave the Pokemon Ranger a surge of deja-vu so strong he swayed on his feet, he pulled out his phone to call Brock and tell him they were ready to go, to track Ash, to find him, to _save_ him!

Five minutes later found all of them in the lobby, ready to go, disheveled and hurriedly put together, large bags under their eyes. It looked like Kellyn wasn’t the only one who wasn’t able to get a lot of sleep. “Riolu, come on out!”

Riolu came out of his ball, a little disoriented but immediately shifting into an alarmed fighting position as his eyes rapidly flicked around, turning his head, looking for Ash. He felt a very faint aura as he reached his own energy out to search for the boy, but that was all. He must’ve not been awake, or Riolu would’ve felt more.

“Riolu, Ash isn’t here. He was captured by Hunter J,” at that, Riolu yelped and his eyes turned frightened—at both the mention of _her_ name and by the circumstances his trainer was in. “and we need your help to find him. Can you search for his aura and lead us to him, just like he did the same with you before?”

Again, Riolu reached his aura out to his trainers, searching for a stronger one to match his own among the countless auras of everyone else. If he focused, (even though it was still weaker than normal) he could feel the essence that was so entirely _Ash_ that it hurt, just a little bit, as he remembered the sacrifice he’d made for Riolu, for his other Pokemon. He was far, way farther than Riolu would’ve thought, and moving farther by the second. With a bark, he confirmed the answer to Kellyn’s question and leaned towards the door, wanting to run out. “Hold on, Riolu! He’s way too far to go on foot. We need a car or a plane.”

With that, Kellyn called Officer Jenny, who was now on the case, to get them transportation. Sure enough, she had a high enough clearance and an important enough mission that they could get a helicopter. After an agonizingly long hour wait before she was there and they were ready, they all ran to the copter as fast as they could.

An hour into their flight, with Riolu guiding them on the directions to go, Dawn leaned on Brock’s shoulder, sighing with furrowed eyebrows. “Brock, I’m worried about Ash. I know he can handle himself— I saw that in Alamos town, and with the other times he’s snuck onto Hunter J’s plane to stop her. But I’m so anxious! What if he’s hurt? What if something happened?! What if—! _How_ did you deal with all of this for _years?”_

He looked on with sympathetic eyes. “You’ve gotta realize, Dawn, that this isn’t something Ash can just opt out of. He’s always had a stupid hero complex, but besides that, he’s apparently Lugia’s _Chosen One_ , and as much as that sounds like something a kid would call themself in a pretend game, that’s what he’s been named. You don’t argue with the gods. He doesn’t deserve to be forced to save the world over and over again, but even if he _wasn’t_ forced, he’d do it anyway. He’s too selfless for his own good. I’ve tried, _believe me I’ve tried,_ to tell him to think about himself, to not throw himself in front of Pokemon attacks, because he could be _killed,_ but he doesn’t care. He just brushes it off with a laugh. Over the years, I guess I’ve gotten used to all the crazy things he does. If I hadn’t, I’m pretty sure I would’ve died from stress by now. Ash can handle himself. And when he does need help, like now, then we come to help him. He’ll be okay. We’re coming to save him.”

She wound her slightly-trembling hands in her blue hair and pulled tight. “But, but— he’s just a kid! He’s a kid like me! He’s the stupid, goofy, loving Ash who needs to count to ten on his fingers and fights with me all the time!” _He’s also the Ash who can think so well on his feet it scares her, sometimes, with his ingenuity in battle. He’s the Ash who jumps in front of his friends and Pokemon without thinking to protect them from danger, no matter how it will hurt him. He’s the outside-of-the-box thinker who got high placings in leagues, who supported her, was her best friend, acted as her mentor, and related to her more than Brock could understand,_ her brain helpfully supplied.

Dawn wanted to cry. Her best friend, _Ash,_ was on that ship, alone, with _Hunter J,_ who was hunting him for his aura, who was selling him to another person, who hated him with every fiber of her being. He was terrifyingly outmatched, and though he was strong, he was just one _kid_.

Two more hours passed, and suddenly Riolu was barking urgently. His eyes darted around frantically, breathing hard and clutching his chest. “Is it Ash? What happened? Is he okay?”

Riolu felt the panic from his trainer, stretching across miles and miles, ease as something calmed him. In an unconscious gesture mirroring Ash, his moved his hand to his chest, clutching something not there, closing his eyes. _Pikachu,_ he felt.

The emanation Pokemon couldn’t feel more than that, as his aura suddenly was directed away, no longer engaging in their connection. All Riolu could feel was the vague direction he was in, so they kept flying.

Twenty minutes later, however, founding him winding up into a panic he hadn’t felt since last night, when Hunter J maliciously controlled his aura, and Ash’s in turn. Riolu’s heart felt as though it crashed directly into a wall, and that wall was Ash’s fear, anger, frenzy. The reverberation of the impact echoed through his brain, until it was all he could hear, and he _saw her face,_ her sickeningly smiling face, and suddenly he felt the panic form into utter terror, then transform into _pain, anguish, agony,_ and then suddenly, nothing. And he heard shouting, shouting around him, as everyone in the helicopter yelled, shocked at the small blue shockwave that came out of him, exploded, popped, and boomed, before it was suddenly over and there was nothing. Riolu felt all his senses disappear for a second before he was again aware, but he couldn’t stop the tremors that traveled through his body and he looked into those cold gray eyes of hers.

“What’s happening? What’s going on?”

He couldn’t focus on the words.

“Riolu! Ash! What happened?”

They were close, now, he could feel it, the fear turning into fury, his own teeth bared in a ferocity he’d never felt from the kind trainer before. He was overcome with the overwhelming urge to give her a _face full of fist._ And then he faltered, unnerved, because she looked so _hungry_ for power, for _Ash’s_ power, eyes so full of greed it was sickening.

And then he couldn’t hear anything from the helicopter before. All Riolu could hear were Ash’s own words. His speech, cursing Hunter J for her crimes and his vow to stop her in her tracks, _forever._

_-.-.-_

Blue energy coursed through his veins as he pushed it out into the shield in one hand, and now the projectiles he fired out of another. His breathing labored, in tandem with Pikachu’s, loud, wheezing gasps. His heart felt clenched by a steel fist, crushed under a thousand-pound anvil, closing up his airways. Was it a panic attack? Was it just the exertion? Was it both? And, oh.

He could feel Riolu’s own worried aura pressed up against his, and he tried to hide the little surge of glee and hope in him. His friends were coming for him. They were _close_. He tried to mitigate the concern his Pokemon had for him, but soon he had to direct his focus away to focus on the battle. J wasn’t faring much better. Her voice was hoarse from screaming out commands. She was snarling, voice getting more urgent each time she was forced to defend. She was going to give out any minute! He could win!

But, Ash and Pikachu were going to give out any _second._ He didn’t have the time to wait for J’s Drapion to tire, because by then he would be done for and she’d have her goons on him without a second's hesitation. He had to _end_ it, with a bang, and then book it and hide, somewhere. Maybe back up into the vent? He couldn’t get off the ship before it landed. He knew he couldn’t.

The momentary lapse in concentration cost Ash, as just then, a Poison Sting knocked into both him and Pikachu. Ash ’s knees (no matter how much he fought) buckled and he was on the ground, vision swimming before him, and he heard Pikachu screech his name, panting, as his own legs gave out. Hunter J smiled, walking over to him, savoring the moment, taunting him with her relaxed gait, and for a second, nothing happened, and then something clicked in his mind. _No. No! J was never going to win!_

Right as she was standing over him, leaning down to grab his shirt, he gathered up every ounce of energy he had in his being, that beating, swelling, blue core, glowing inside him, stretching out, concentrating it through his veins and into his hand. And he _pushed_ out, as hard as he could, the largest and most powerful aura sphere he had yet. It swelled out of his hand, bathing the room in a blinding blue light, and Ash, PIkachu, and even J and her Drapion had to raise their hands to shield their eyes. It seemed to grow as large as Ash himself, hovering for a second, before launching right at her face, and she yelled, in pain and anguish, and Ash felt himself go right then and there, vision black, elbows beneath him faltering, and falling straight onto his back. And he was there, and there was silence, for just a minute, before suddenly he heard a “Pika _pi!”_ and his best buddy was letting out a shock (a worryingly weak one) to get him up. And before he could think at all, Pikachu was trying to drag him up, so he used all of the energy he still somehow had in his body after all that to force his limbs to support himself to standing.

Ash chanced one quick look back at J (both she and her Drapion were unconscious on the floor. Ash hoped unconscious was all it was, but he didn’t have the time to worry or care) before he was running, blindly, ignoring the shouts of the buyer who had _still stayed on the call the whole time._ He ran, and he ran, and then he heard voices, and there were guards, and he _couldn’t_ be caught, because he knew if he even tried to speak he would drop to the floor right then and there and it would all be over.

Pikachu was pulling his hair, clutching tightly to it and digging his tail into Ash’s back, trying to keep balance on his shoulder as Ash sprinted and his own limbs failed him, trembling and weak. He ducked into a (rather conveniently placed) room, seeing it was a bathroom (how lucky— he wouldn’t be interrupted here). He locked the door, back resting against it, before going to the tiny mirror and chancing a peak at his face. _Yikes._ He looked like utter _shit._ There was blood, dry and caked, staining his shirt (it had dried stiff and he wanted to burn it) and it was on his hands, and even his _face,_ and in his hair. He was paler than he’d ever been, veins popping out and showing blue against the unsettlingly light shade of his normally tan skin. There was sweat running and mixing with the blood, creating a cracked sort of swirl on his cheeks, brown and crusty and disgusting.

Taking a couple minutes to pull himself together enough to try and think of a way out of this _shitshow_ he’d gotten himself into, he held his partner tight, and hard as he could. “Pikachu, buddy. You were absolutely _amazing_ out there. I’m so proud of you. _So proud_. You did good. Thank you so much. I love you buddy. I love you so much.”

A weak but loving coo came out of the yellow mouse, before he mentioned that it would probably be a good idea to find a way to get out of there. Ash leaned against the door, listening to the footsteps of the guards, before realizing that it was the same two men— they made rounds around one area of the ship and passed that once every two minutes. So as soon as they passed again, and their footsteps disappeared, he snuck out of the bathroom. He made it down the hallway fine.

So far, so good. He knew there must be cameras on the ship, but he’d suppose J would be the one manning that— so he was okay (hopefully). He passed more hallways, and there were more guards, but he managed to stay out of sight with the right timing and ducking into different hallways and rooms. (He’d walked the ship enough times that he knew the layout enough not to get lost. And wasn’t that unsettling enough as it was?) And then, he was at the cargo hold of the ship, where the big opening would drop down and where the cars were parked. If he could just get under one of those cars, no one would check! (And maybe he could sneak a nap.)

The place a one of her men guarding it, though, that he had to pass if he was going to get in. And he couldn’t be seen. Thankfully, there were objects he could hide behind (cargo, if you will.) And so he moved very slightly and very quickly, hiding as much as he could. And right as he was going to breathe a sigh of relief—

“Hey! Is someone there?”

Oh _shit._ Every muscle in his exhausted, shaking body contracted and he held still as a statue, silent and breathless and his blood ran cold. He became suddenly _very_ aware of the pain his arms were still in, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut and clamp his teeth down on his tongue to keep from making a noise. The man walked closer to investigate, and right as he was going to come upon the spot Ash was in! He swiped to the other side and when the man saw nothing, he hummed and fell back. “Maybe I’m just going senile!” he laughed to himself, appearing for all the world to him that he was entirely alone.

Ash let out the breath he was holding and made his way to a truck, hauling himself onto the bottom like he’d done so many times now. He could finally relax, and he held Pikachu tight, and tried not to cry, and when he closed his eyes, he was immediately dead to the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this ending isn't the best, but I wanted to end it here, because the next chapter is the climax, and that's gonna be a LOT of words, and I wouldn't be able to finish it this weekend, but I want to get out a chapter every weekend. So next weekend will be worth the wait! :). I don't think it'll be the end of the story quite then, but the big climactic moment is going to happen.


	9. Megalomaniac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He defies all the odds, somehow, but at what cost?
> 
> In other words, Ash finally punches Hunter J.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay there's so much more swearing in this chapter than the last one! Ash is super traumatized and VERY angry. Just a little warning!
> 
> Please proceed with caution! There's dissociation, trauma, and a panic attack described in these chapters pretty graphically.

His eyes shot open and he tried to sit up, head banging into the bottom of the truck. He bit down on his cheek to keep quiet once he realized the reason he’d woke up was that there were _footsteps and voices and they were really fucking close._ He prayed to whatever deity didn’t hate him at this point (he knew Arceus hated him already, considering the shit he threw at him for his whole life) that they didn’t notice the noise he’d made when he’d hit his head on the bottom of the truck. They stopped near him, and for a moment, a minute, nothing happened, and his blood turned to ice, and this situation was so _goddamn familiar at this point that he wanted to cry,_ but then they walked away, continuing whatever conversation they were having.

He didn’t know how long it’d been, but considering his fight with J had lasted somewhere around an hour, and he felt more than a little groggy (he was nauseous, felt disgusting, covered in sweat, and shivering even though there wasn’t a chill. He wasn’t sure his limbs would support him, and even though he _felt_ Riolu, closer now, _really close,_ he could barely feel his own aura, and everything hurt, especially his arms.) The three hours must have been pretty close to being up, right?

With that, he felt his ears building up pressure, and his nose felt like it was going to bleed. They were descending. The three hours were up. J must have woken up by now! Oh, _shit,_ she’s gotta be looking for him! Ash took a deep breath in, and then a long, shaking, quiet breath out. He just had to stay where he was, and he should be fine. They’d be looking for him, but maybe as soon as he got off, when he was in a place he could flee, he would just run! Maybe his friends would come! Then, then! They could just hop on a flyer and hightail it out of there! He was almost _safe!_ That was all Ash wanted at that point. _Safety._ Something he felt like he hadn’t experienced in _so long,_ even though only a week had passed since the first time Hunter J had kidnapped Ash, on that fateful night (morning) that he ran into the Pokemon Center, injured, desperate, and alone.

And for all the self-sacrificing hero that Ash was, for all that he would run into danger headlong without a second thought for what would happen to him, he didn’t feel like that now. For all the bravery that he’d shown in that battle, for all the cockiness and strength he’d preached in his speech to the criminal, he didn’t feel like any of that now. He felt sick, and tired, and desperate, and _lonely._ And _afraid._ Honest, pure, fear, pulsed through his veins, and he wanted to be _anywhere but here._ He would take Team Rocket over this, or Team Magma or Team Aqua. He would take any goddamn legendary over this, even one that was rampaging. He would take an angry Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos any day without even a sweat. Imaginary Entei created by a four-year-old throwing a tantrum? Piece of cake. Criminal stealing Celebi? Been there, done that. Angry Kyogre and Groudon, the gods of sea and land, fighting? Drowning? _Nothing._

What was it about this that made it so much worse? Why was he so _scared?_ This wasn’t the sort of fear that he felt, sometimes, when up against a tough opponent, because he could push through that. It pushed him to do better, to win. To play the hero, every time. This was the fear, the _terror,_ that made his whole body feel like it was ice, petrified and stuck in place, unable to move. The type that made his heart jump into his throat, stop beating, turn to ice like his limbs. An anvil crushing his very soul. White, ghastly, slippery fingers, crawling up his throat, closing off his airways, choking him, stealing his breath. Grasping his frozen heart, slimy and coated, heavy and _crushing,_ as though it was trying to make his life force disappear. 

It was the fear that had arisen that first time, that first day, when he faced the Spearow to protect the Pikachu who he’d only just gotten, who hated him, even though he didn’t know why. He pushed through it, put on a brave face, challenging the birds to strike him, even though he knew that it could, _would_ kill him. He’d been prepared to die, back then, on that day. His journey hadn’t even really begun, he was at the ripe age of ten, and he had so many hopes, but in that moment, all that mattered was Pikachu. If Pikachu was okay, then he would gladly lay down his life, his hopes, and his dreams.

But he’d still felt that same terror, crawling its way into his limbs. He didn’t _want_ to die, even if he was prepared to. He wasn’t going to go down without a fight, but he wasn’t sure if his muscles would even let him try. But then, when he swallowed, trying to force down his heart from his throat, and the tears out of his eyes, Pikachu jumped on his shoulder, Pikachu, the little mouse who he’d barely met, who was _so_ powerful, who _hated_ him with every little spark in his body, had pushed through his injuries to save Ash’s life, to defend him and shock all the Spearow with energy he shouldn’t have had left. From that day forward, Ash knew they would be best friends.

Reminded of his buddy, he held Pikachu as tight as he could, trying to distract himself from the terror freezing his veins. They were descending. They were going to be on the ground soon. His friends would be there soon. He would escape soon. He wouldn’t be alone anymore. He would be _safe,_ soon, and Hunter J would be locked up for good. He’d _won_ his battle against her, despite all the odds.

But, if he was forced to battle again.

Physically, that would be impossible for his body. Emotionally, probably, too, he wouldn’t be able to do it.

But Ash was not one for listening to what was possible or not. If he had to battle, he would. He would, with every last breath he had. If he had to fight until he choked, until he was nothing but a pile of dust, until he was bruised and broken and unable to do anything but _bleed,_ he would. He was _Ash Ketchum,_ the boy who dreamed to be a Pokemon Master, and he would _strike J down!_

There was a jolt as the plane hit solid ground. Three hours were up. It was time.

Ash waited with bated breath, silent as the room around him grew louder, with more and more people. Hiding Pikachu with his entire body, because if anything was going to bring someone’s eyes down to where he was hiding, it would be a bright flash of yellow against the black and gray tones of the room. He stayed silent as two men got into the truck, one in the driver’s seat and one in the passenger seat.He stayed silent as they started the ignition, as the door to the plane opened and suddenly everything was so much brighter. He stayed silent, shaking, as the truck started to move, and he held on tight, and his knuckles were held so stiffly that they ached and turned white.

The ground underneath the wheels was dirt and he tried not to cough as dust was disturbed and then forced into his lungs. He never made a single sound. Pikachu didn’t make a single sound. Ash wasn’t even sure his best friend was fully conscious, covered in wounds as he was, and so exhausted. It hurt, how achingly familiar the image here was to the time his friend was hurt by the Spearow, so long ago. On that same day. So Ash just buried his head into the electric mouse’s dirtied, matted, and bloodied (some of it was Ash’s) yellow fur and tried to keep from sobbing.

The truck stopped. There was a silent moment, where nothing happened, before he heard footsteps, _very near him_. And those boots. They were narrower than the other men, looking more feminine. There was a voice. It was _hers._ She sounded awfully self-satisfied, a tone that didn’t match her words when she said “As you can see, I don’t have him with me.”

The buyer’s (Ash had come to recognize his voice by now) tone was equally as pleased, again not matching his words, when he sighed “Oh, what a shame!”

His terror grew as there was silence for another moment. It grew heavier, and in his mind’s eye, they were both grinning like Meowths who got the cream. A deep, unsettled feeling swelled in his chest. They _knew_ where he was. They’d _known,_ this whole time. This whole thing? They’d, _she’d,_ been _toying_ with him. It was _always_ the same. Just when he’d thought he’d reached some semblance of safety, of respite, it was all just a ploy. He’d been cornered this whole time. They’d been letting him take his sweet time. Waited for him to lower his guard.

He seethed, fists clenching and a low growl starting to come out of his throat. He would _not_ be used like that! He wasn’t just some sitting Psyduck that they could play with. He was a _person._ He had _feelings. A life._ He was not _property!_ Ash would _not_ stand idly by while she continued her mistreatment of people and Pokemon!

Damn it all. He would not hide anymore. He _knew they knew,_ and letting this game continue on would just be giving them what they wanted. He prepped his fist, clenching it, as he placed Pikachu next to him, stretching out his legs and swinging them onto the ground.

It all happened very fast. He ran towards her, yelling, swung back an _enormous_ left hook, ignoring the pain in his arms, and put all the force he’d ever had, all the fury he felt now, letting all his emotions now control him, into her face. All the anger at his helplessness, at her terrible treatment of living beings, of the situation, of _everything,_ everything he’d ever held back. His restraint was gone. He did not hold back. He pushed his entire weight into his left fist as he slammed it into her jaw, whipping her face to the side in a way he hoped hurt like a thousand fucking Thunder Bolts from Pikachu. He so was fucking done with her.

She was on the ground, surprised, blood welling from where she’d bitten her tongue. She looked up at him, still managing to keep that _stupid fucking smirk_ on her face. He’d brawled with her on the ground, less than twenty-four hours ago, and yet it felt like a million years. He kneeled down over her and pulled his fist back again and brought it down hard on her nose. He felt a sickening _crunch_ and then there was blood pouring out of it and there was blood covering his fist and it was slimy and warm and wet and the smell of iron was so damn strong it made him want to throw up all over again.

He’d knocked her visors off with the first punch, and her cold icy eyes, instead of being filled with pain, and surprise, and maybe contempt, were filled with such cold mirth it sent violent chills up his spine, making his whole body shake. The fear returned full force, and though fury was still hot behind his eyes, angry tears starting to spill out, he was frozen there for a second, and it was a second too long. He tried to meet her frigid stare with a glare of his own, but he could only make eye contact for a second before he was grabbed roughly under the arms and it _hurt_ so fucking _much_ and he couldn’t stop the yell that bit its way out of his throat.

And for all the damage he’d dealt just seconds before, he suddenly felt very small and very harmless as he could barely even struggle in the man’s powerful arms. A hand was put over his mouth and he didn’t waste a second before biting down, hard, but he still couldn’t break his way free. The man had to have at least a foot and a hundred pounds on him— there was no way he would have been physically strong enough to break out if he was at full health— that is, having a normal amount of sleep, of food, of friends, and not having used all of his aura in what felt like a fight to the death. As it was, over the past 48 hours, he’d gotten barely any sleep, constantly trying to escape and fight Hunter J. He hadn’t had food since last night at dinner— and since then, he’d been kidnapped (for a third time), had free-fallen through the air before being painfully caught, pushed out all his aura in an hour-long fight where he’d been attacked, repeatedly, and then had to run and hide and try not to cry who knows how many times. He was so alone, so afraid, so unsafe, and hadn’t had any friends except for Pikachu, who he’d had to hide until a couple of hours ago (and he _forced him into his ball!)_

Hunter J was coughing on the ground, sputtering, before the buyer reached down to help her up. The _fury_ in her eyes, still icy, always icy, locked his muscles up, but more than that, they made _him_ so much angrier too! “Fuck you, Hunter J! To hell with all of this!”

And she slowly sauntered up to him, and he clenched his fist, wanting to punch her again, but he couldn’t move his arm, and then she was less than an inch from his face, her ragged breath warm on his cheeks, and her blood splattered onto his own nose. She reached her hands up to grab at both of his cheeks, digging her fingers in and clawing at him, but he would not flinch. Ash would not give in.

Suddenly, her face moved from fury to amusement. She smirked, taking her hands off of his face. “He’s all yours, now. Give me the money. I’ll get the Riolu to you shortly. Take him, and do whatever you want with him. _Make him suffer_.”

And then, he was being carried over to the other man’s vehicle, and he struggled, he struggled as much as he could, kicking, screaming, biting, but he couldn’t do anything. His voice cracked as he shrieked. “Pikachu!”

And at his cry, his buddy seemed to rouse from his stupor, stumbling out from under the truck, quickly taking a fighting stance and fighting a Thunder Bolt at the man holding Ash, but Drapion was out faster than he could blink, blocking the attack with its own Pin Missile. And then Ash tried to struggle more, but it was futile, but he would _not lose this chance!_ This was the best chance he had here, of escaping, of making it out _alive,_ with his friends closer than ever (he could _feel Riolu, now, so close!)_ And he would not lose this!

And so, defying all expectations, logic, and laws of science, a scream built up in Ash, one of fury, and frustration, and stubbornness, and _power,_ and with it came a swell of energy, a shock wave of aura, booming as it made its way out of Ash in a perfect sphere of glowing, crackling blue, tinged with a dangerous sting and burn that hurt everyone it touched. The man holding him screamed, letting Ash go, as blisters formed on his burnt arms as though he’d been touched by fire. And it kept expanding, hitting everyone right up to the edge of Pikachu’s nose, where it suddenly was no more. Around him were bodies, people screaming in pain, their skin burned by his trainer’s angry energy.

This is why you didn’t mess with Aura Adepts.

This is why you didn’t mess with Pikachu’s trainer.

He would _fuck you up_.

Ash lingered for a moment, stumbling, before his knees buckled underneath him, and he barely heard a “Pikapi!” as he crashed to the ground. But it wasn’t even a second before he was pushing himself to his feet again, trying to run and staggering like a drunkard.

Unfortunately, J had been standing by and watching. Too far to be affected by the aura she smirked as she stood there. She was a megalomaniac, intoxicated by the idea of possessing his power. She called to the men who hadn’t been affected and gave chase, closing in on the exhausted boy rather quickly. Ash chanced a glance back and was terrified at the image before him. Hunter J’s appearance was nightmare material, cheek red and bruising from the punch, nose twisted and crushed. There was a sickening amount of blood rushing down from her nose, into her mouth, staining her lips red like lipstick. Her eyes were wide with fury and _desire,_ predator after prey and hungry to get her hands on him. Her mouth was twisted into a sadistic smirk, almost a grimace, and there was a barely contained anger beneath it all, and just being within 10 feet of her made the air feel colder. A violent shiver ran up Ash’s back, making him hesitate, and he could barely see, all that filled his vision was _her,_ and she was closer and closer and he couldn’t breathe and he couldn’t move and she was _there_ and he wanted to cry and he wanted to throw up and he fell to his knees as he dry heaved, too disgusted and absolutely fucking terrified to do anything else.

_Rare, rare, rare, rare, you lost, you’re done, you’re never going to be free, you’re going to die you’re going to die you’re rare, rare and I want that, look at that raw power, surely it would be more useful to use you and your powers for more…profitable purposes._

_What could I stand to gain from that power?_

_Be a good little boy, and follow my orders._

It was all he could feel, all he could _think!_ And then it was too late! He was choking on nothing but his hysteria and he was absolutely helpless. She was there, but he would not be taken captive again! No! No! _No!_

He was Ash Ketchum, the fucking Chosen One, and he would not be so easily subdued by a _mere mortal._ He had died more times than he could count, he had watched his best friend in the entire world, Pikachu, the one creature that meant more to him than he could possibly articulate, that he valued _so much more_ than his own life, than all his happiness, all the happiness in the world, die! He had conquered _legendaries,_ he had befriended, _saved,_ the gods of this world. Hunter J was _nothing_ compared to that, and he would _not_ let her win!

He ignored the steady stream of tears pouring out of his eyes now (where was all that water coming from? He hadn’t had any in at least 12 hours!) and pushed his hand out theatrically. “You have reached the end of your days as a villain, Hunter J! I know if it were up to Lugia or Mew or any of the fucking gods, you would rot in hell for all you’ve done! Don’t _trifle with me!_ That is _so much more_ of a mess than you think you’ll be getting into! Stop this, right now! I will _strike you down_!”

Any sane person, seeing the fire in his eyes, the absolute hysteric _rage_ he had in his expression, seeing the sparking, growling Pikachu, and seeing the wave of blue energy rise up behind him, crackling threateningly, would have stopped. Would have been cowed, too fearful to do anything but run or submit.

J was not sane.

Hysteric peals of laughter bubbled up in her chest, and she spread her arms wide. “Such big talk for such a _little boy_. You’re nothing.”

She pulled out a Pokeball. “Salamence, _burn this forest down.”_

And with that, the tidal wave of aura Ash hadn’t even realized he’d built up crashed down in his surprise. It was a vicious callback to the time she was after Riolu, when she set the forest on fire with him there. He had Chimchar then, with Dig, that could save them, but now he didn’t. And Salamence was turning its flames onto him too, and he knew that through all of the other things he had survived, that he probably wouldn’t survive this. Not after everything.

For a second, he felt what he’d been feeling way too often recently: resignation. Acceptance to his death. That was before Pikachu shrieked his name, huddling close to his chest, and suddenly that anger, the fire of determination arose in him again.

Tears streamed harder down his face as he _screamed,_ pushing out his aura in what would probably be the last time ever. Lucario had _died_ by pushing out his life force, and although Ash had felt some of that pain when they’d worked together to save Mew, he now knew just what Lucario had hid before. This wasn’t the aura that continued to tear itself out of him unconsciously, in response to his emotions. There was no more of that. No more.

This was the life energy that kept his heart beating. This was the only thing keeping him breathing, keeping his brain functioning, keeping his eyes seeing. This was his very soul, now. There was nothing extra. There were only the last strings of his life, keeping him together, and he was forcing it out of his chest. The pain was _excruciating._

Hunter J’s eyes lit up with a manic glow as she laughed at his pain, at his aura. She was drunk on his power, on the possibilities that she could use it for. Intoxicated on the very idea of possessing the energy, she crouched down low, next to him, her face inches away from his with only a thinning, very fragile buzzing shield of blue between them. She guffawed at his suffering, _enjoying_ it, as she yelled for Salamence to only fire the flames on his little bubble now.

Was she going in for the kill?

He couldn’t hold in the sobs the ripped their way out of his chest, hands shaking so hard they blurred in his vision (maybe that was from the tears, he couldn’t tell.) He couldn’t even tell his senses apart anymore, his eyes burned from crying, his wounds stung, and his energy throbbed as it was torn from his very soul, as he gave up absolutely _everything,_ as the heat started to penetrate through the barrier that was quickly deteriorating, and he knew if he had to hold it up for another 30 seconds he would fade away into nothing.

And then suddenly! There was something else! The reprieve, the sudden relief, as a familiar aura washed over him like cold water, like ice to a wound, as Riolu gave his plentiful aura to stop Ash from dying. 

And, they were here! He heard the familiar yells of his best friends, Brock, and Dawn, and he heard Kellyn too! The voices all blended into one as he struggled to hold up the shield, but then there was no more fire, and then he was safe to let it down, and he did, and all the voices blended together (they sounded concerned?) and the colors blended together and then was he going to die? Was this it? He felt himself start to fade away, but then there was fur up against his, but it was rougher than Pikachu’s, and hands were grasping his arms, and his eyes fluttered open as he was dipped back into that relieving cold water again of the shared aura, and while he was nowhere near capable of standing or even moving, he was suddenly so much more _himself_ again that he could spare a moment to think and breathe.

His cheek rested on(hot, hot, burning) dirt, and his bones, the tension he held, was sinking into the floor, and he had nothing in him, and he wanted to sleep for a hundred thousand years, sleep and never wake up, and his eyes were closing, but he forced them to stay open, because the battle wasn’t over yet. Someone was with him, Ash thought, and he caught a flash of blue (so much blue, now, blue was all he saw). Dawn? Probably. She was crying, maybe? And hugging him, and pushing back his hair? It sounded like she was talking, but he couldn’t make out any of it.

Ash couldn’t fall asleep, because while Dawn was with him, the others couldn’t even spare a glance at him, as they called out all the Pokemon they had and commanded them to fight in a battle where there were no limits. Here, now, they didn’t follow the rules of competitive battle, or even police regulation. It was all out on both sides, as the men from before, the ones who were burnt by his aura were finally getting up to join the battle again.

His eyes focused a little more on the scene before him as his hearing gave out and all he could hear was ringing. With the high pitched noise that took over his senses, a pain so sharp it felt like a javelin stabbing his forehead arose and he grit his teeth against the migraine. It felt like everything he could see was in slow motion, and he saw Brock fighting, and then he saw his Pokemon! Charizard, and then there was Buizel, and the others, they were here! Pikachu was curled up in his chest, just as dead-looking as Ash probably was himself. The yellow fur was so dirty and stained red, matted and mixed with mud, burnt and smelling of smoke, that it wasn’t even yellow anymore, not really. He was shivering, shaking, trembling, and panting heavily, eyes squeezed shut and claws digging into Ash’s chest, but Ash didn’t mind. If there was something there that could remind him that his best buddy wasn’t dead, wasn’t gone, that Ash wasn’t dead, he would take it. He would take anything.

Besides, a little pain was nothing, now. Nothing compared to what he’d just felt, what he’d felt over these past couple hours. What Hunter J had _made_ him feel. Angry tears pushed their way out of his eyes. He hoped she _burned in hell._

Ash was not the vengeful type. He never was. He’d come across so many things, that, if he were, would’ve made him snap. It would have been so easy to order Pikachu to kill Team Rocket, every single time he saw them. Pikachu had the power to do it. He would follow anything Ash told him, even if it were to kill someone. He could’ve killed Team Magma, Team Aqua, or any of the other criminals he’d encountered. He could’ve killed _J._

But he didn’t. Ash was not the vengeful type, never truly hating or wishing death and suffering on anyone.

But man, did he want that bitch to _rot in fucking hell for eternity._

He was distracted from his reverie when he saw the fight break out, more. Dawn still stayed by his side, but she’d let her Pokemon out to fight on their own. Ash’s Pokemon were fighting. All of Brock’s were. Kellyn, finally in his natural element as a Ranger, could use his capture styler to temporarily recruit the wild forest Pokemon to fight on their side, and he was ordering Grotles, Bidoofs, Kricketunes, and more in battle against Hunter J and her Pokemon. Now, he could see, Officer Jenny was there, too, angry and looking more authoritative than he’d seen before.

The Hunter herself was hovering above the battle, riding on her Salamence as it launched Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam to the ground. But even though they were still outnumbered— there were still _so many men!_ They had a really good chance, now. Half of the men were barely able to call out orders, covered in blisters, bubbling red wounds as they were. Ash didn’t feel guilty. The Pokemon the men had weren’t as well trained as the trainers’. Kellyn’s horde of wild Pokemon was so _vast_ that it could be called an army. They could _win._ Ash could actually get to safety.

The images blurred as his eyes tried really hard to close, against his protests. More than that, he was _crying_ again, and he didn’t know why! He didn’t feel _anything_ right now, except exhaustion, and relief, so it was confusing why this was happening. Pushing that aside, though, he had to join the fight. He could be so much more _helpful_ if he could command his Pokemon!

He was the one who’d caused this mess, anyway, he wouldn’t lay down on the sidelines and let everyone else do the work. 

With all his might, all his might! He tried to push himself up, but the second he moved his muscles, his stomach churned, and he felt like he was going to vomit, and his head hurt like a thousand needles, and his arms vigorously shook, and he _forgot,_ his _arms,_ they hurt like hell.

“Dawn, please, Dawn, help me up, I need to go, I need to help, I need to be in the fight, please, I can’t get up, please Dawn, please!”

She looked down at him, surprised, knocked out of the stupor she’d been in, watching the battle.

She immediately opened her mouth to protest that no, he needs to rest, he literally almost died just now, he shouldn’t have to fight, he’d been through so much, now it was their turn, but then she saw how pitiful he looked, how desperate and pleading his eyes were, filled with tears and determination, and she just couldn’t say no. She could never say no to him.

She gingerly supported his back and slowly eased him up, taking some water out of her bag and helping him sip some of it. After gingerly taking it, he drank greedily, downing the whole thing, coughing and sputtering but voice sounding much less raspy. “Oh my gosh, Ash, you probably haven’t had water or food since last night! Here, here, eat, please!”

He looked at the offer in her hand, half repulsed as his stomach churned nauseously, but on the other hand his mouth was watering. He took it in his shaking hands, but after lingering for half a second more, pushed it back into her grasp. “I-I can’t. I’ll just throw it up. _Please,_ Dawn, I need to go help, now!”

She debated, considering the options. The clear answer was _no,_ but he was just so sad and pitiful-looking, and so she eased him up until almost his entire weight was supported on her shoulder (why was it so much easier than she thought it would be?) She walked, slowly with him, half carrying him, over closer to the field where his Pokemon were fighting, and then told him he couldn’t come any closer, he’d have to shout from here. He was more than grateful.

And so he inhaled, shouting as loud as he could, adding his own strategies to help guide his Pokemon, attacking the men first (the men were easier to subdue than the Pokemon, and without orders, the beasts would be much easier to destroy). He had no empathy left in himself, no guilt or qualms now about attacking them. They’d done much worse to him. They _deserved_ it.

His voice cracked and shook each time he pushed a yell out of his lungs. Brock directed Croagunk to strike a grunt in the gut, poisoning him and leaving him down for the count. There was a little bit of a sadistic twinkle in his eye, so uncharacteristic to take joy in the same pain he encountered every time he took it a _little_ too far in his flirtatiousness, but hey. These men had kidnapped and hurt his little bro and he would _not_ stand for that. Kellyn ordered a Blastoise in a Hydro Pump up at J and her Salamence, and she couldn’t dodge in time, leaving her soaked and angry. The blood that had dried on her face was now slick and slippery again, dripping off of her face and onto the ground 20 feet below her.

Then, Charizard was down. He’d taken a particularly nasty Water Gun right on his flaming tail, and after the super-effective attack, he was down for the count. So was Buizel, now, and then Croagunk was too, and then so was Piplup. And with each man and Pokemon they felled, it seemed as though so many still remained, as their own Pokemon fell one by one, exhausted and hurt. Ash’s voice grew hoarse from yelling until he could yell no more. He slumped back, onto the floor, now, holding his head and trying to ignore the ringing still in his ears. He picked up Pikachu, who he’d set on the ground next to him before, and hugged him close, listening to his rattling breath and trying to not throw up at the strong smell of blood. There were so many tears, and he couldn’t stop them, and he didn’t even try.

He heard her voice, yelling. He heard his name, and looked up, even though he didn’t want to, but she was flying lower now, next to him, and he scrambled back on the floor, not breaking eye contact until he was up against a tree and he couldn’t crawl back anymore. “You’re mine, you know, you’ve always been mine. Even if your little friends win this fight, _I’ll come back for you._ You’ll _never_ be safe again.”

And he couldn’t even say anything, now, and couldn’t even feel the anger he’d felt before, and she was so _close,_ and his breathing picked up, and he was panicking, and she was smiling that devious, evil, _hungry_ smile again! But then Kellyn was there, running in front of Ash, yelling in her face, and all Ash could do was stare at the Ranger’s shoes, running his hands through Pikachu’s tangled, dirty fur, as he heard yelling, and then attacks were launched so close he could feel the heat near his face, but then he heard her cry out, this time so pained it surprised him. He’d never heard her sound so helpless before.

It startled Ash to look up, enough to see her on the ground, and there was actual _fear_ in her eyes. And suddenly, he felt an unexpected rush of satisfaction, of _glee,_ seeing that expression on her face for once instead of his. She _deserved to be terrified._ And she was scrambling back on the ground like he’d done not a moment ago, fury emanating off of Kellyn as he glared down at her. “You are _defeated,_ Hunter J. You’re losing this battle. You’re going to _rot_ in jail. I shouldn’t even let you live, but I know Jenny will get on my back about killing you.” A glance to the side, at the woman still fighting against the men. “Do not _mess_ with us. You are a terrible person.”

There was a pause, and then a desperate, unhinged cackle rose out of her throat, eyes wild and scared. “You’re just a _child,_ just like _him,_ and you can do nothing of the sort. How dare you! I am _everything_ in this world, and I will possess the power that boy has for myself, and _no one will stop me!_ I will murder anyone I need to just to get my hands on that _boy_ there! Salamence! _Kill him_ with a Hyper Beam!”

But all that came was a weak puff of flame before the poor thing collapsed, utterly exhausted. Ash almost felt bad for it, just for a second, before realizing this was J’s Pokemon, and it didn’t deserve that much of his pity. (If he was in a much healthier mindset, he might have thought more about how _Pokemon_ were never evil, only their masters. He was in neither healthy nor stable mindset.)

Her false confidence crumbled so fast that now she looked like a scared little kid, for a second, or just a woman gone absolutely mad. And that’s what she was, wasn’t she? Driven insane, a megalomaniac with no guilt, with only a desire for power. But you did not _mess_ with Ash Ketchum. The gods would damn you to _hell._

There was the loud rumble as a motorcycle arrived, Solana on it, with more of what looked like Jenny’s men, dressed in police uniforms. There was an angry yell as she assessed the situation before her, but then she was there to help fight against the men, who were numbering low now, and with the added forces there was no way they stood a chance.

Officer Jenny, now freed, ran over to where Kellyn and Ash were. She stood over the pathetic woman, eyes wild like a caged mammal, and called over to her men. They grabbed the Hunter roughly, wrenching her arms up and behind her and handcuffing them gruffly. “J, I have been after you for so long, and have seen you win against me, escape the law in your many crimes. That formidable woman would be disgusted to see herself now. You are disgusting. You have _lost._ You went too far in your crimes. You’re mad. You’ll rot in jail.”

The woman didn’t even give a fight as she was pulled away, looking back and staring into Ash’s eyes one final time. She smiled, and threw her head back, and laughed. She looked psychotic, blood still running down her face, eyes wide, smiling maniacally, giggling, now, hair messed up, being pulled away. That image would stay in his mind for a long time. Chills ran down Ash’s back, so violently, and he sobbed, turning away, so nauseous now that he was sure he was going to vomit all over himself.

He squinted his eyes as tight as he could (they burned) and took a deep, shaking, inhale, and exhale, swallowing the bile in his mouth (it burned). When he felt okay enough to open his eyes again, he saw that his hands were shaking so violently they blurred in his vision (or was it the tears?) He didn’t notice as the fighting got louder, men screaming, cars starting and leaving. He didn’t notice anything, until everyone was gone, and his friends were there, by his side, now, and holding him so tightly he could barely breathe.

He could barely process it. He couldn’t even lift his arms to hug them back (he didn’t know if that was physical, from his injuries, or just that he was so checked out. Maybe both.) He felt them shaking, crying, but he just stared, and eventually he realized he was staring at Kellyn’s feet, and he brought his eyes up to look at the Ranger. He was scowling, Ash thought, tension in every muscle in his body. He couldn’t make the connection that he was angry, though, too overwhelmed by his friend’s distressed and relieved auras and by his own mental and physical exhaustion.

After what could have been hours, or maybe only a minute (time felt like it didn’t even exist anymore, like how it felt when he was under the sea, drowning, trying to get the pieces of the crown. Like how it felt when he realized what had happened to Latios. It felt like nothing was real. Was this all a dream…?) his friends let go, and then they were sitting next to him, and he was still staring at nothing, couldn’t bring himself to meet their eyes, could barely muster the energy to move them at all.

But, then it was loud. It sounded angry. He looked up, slowly, moving his head, and he saw Kellyn’s mouth moving. There were words coming out, angry words, and Ash willed himself to focus on what was being said so he could understand it. “…have _any_ idea how _stupid_ you’ve been Ash?! We’ve been working our _asses_ off to save you because you went and got yourself kidnapped for the _third_ time in a week! What is your _problem?!_ You were safe, with us, and then you were _gone!_ You _planned_ to leave! I don’t care about your excuses. I don’t care if there was a ransom, you _could’ve told us!_ I let you off easy from lying on the _one_ condition that you would listen and call when you needed help, and yet you _lose_ your phone less than 4 days after getting it!”

Ash stared blankly, saying nothing.

“Are you even _listening?_ Do you even _care?_ Or are you just so far gone in your _thick skull_ that you don’t care about anyone else? Do you even care about your _life?_ Have you _ever?”_

Ash continued to stare. He wondered if he should say something. Kellyn _sounded_ mad, but he couldn’t really tell at this point. He was probably mad. Everyone was probably mad, and Ash couldn’t even feel any guilt at that prospect. All he could see was that last image, of Hunter J laughing like a maniac, being dragged away. She had all the looks of a defeated woman but all the expression of one who thought she’d won.

“ _Ash! Talk to me!_ What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?”

He didn’t respond, and Brock stood up, his legs blocking Ash’s vision of Kellyn. “Kellyn! Knock it off! Can’t you see he’s in _shock?_ He needs to go to the _hospital,_ not listen to your stupid tirade!”

Was Brock mad? He seemed like it, maybe? Mad at who? Ash? Someone else…?

He missed Kellyn’s response, because then he couldn’t really hear again, and there was a ringing there, and all he could do was look down at Pikachu. Ash didn’t need to go to the hospital. Pikachu did. Pikachu, who didn’t deserve any of this. Pikachu, who Ash had forced into his ball. Pikachu, who was unconscious and covered in blood.

He suddenly felt wetness on his fingers, and Pikachu’s fur, and was it raining? The rest of him didn’t feel wet, he didn’t think, although it was awfully hard to _feel_ anything. He didn’t even feel pain, which, he thought with some detachment, he probably should, considering his injuries. 

Oh. It was tears. He was crying. Why?

“C’mon, Ash, we need to go to the Pokemon Center. Your Pokemon need treating, and you need some healing. Maybe a hospital would be better…”

And, then. Without warning, utter panic coursed through his heart. Hospital. Hospitals didn’t _allow_ Pokemon. If he went to a hospital, he wouldn’t have Pikachu! _No!_ His head was shaking, vigorously, and it was hurting again, and he felt _everything_ again, all the pain, all the fear, and the anger, and the exhaustion, and the guilt, and the sadness, and _everything,_ and it was _all too much._ He much preferred feeling nothing.

Chills erupted through his body and he was shaking, again, eyes wide, as a rush of nausea so violent he felt as though he was actually green filled his bones and sent him scrambling, trying to get to his feet, away from everyone, but he barely made it five feet before he was retching, so hard, it _hurt,_ and he was crying more now, and he was _so fucking glad_ he didn’t have that sandwich from Dawn earlier, but still there was nothing in him except for bile, but it was all coming out, and it _burned_ his throat and tasted awful. And he couldn’t see anything anymore, and he was heaving so much, and he was making pitiful, disgusting sounds, and he was shaking, and he felt like he was going to collapse into the mess he was making, and there was blood there, and the smell made him heave twice as hard. He was coughing, and sobbing, and retching, and it was still happening, and it must have been for _hours,_ and they were all holding him, rubbing circles into his back, but that didn’t even register.

All he could see was her face, laughing. He could feel her blood on his hands, that _crunch_ of her nose under his fist. Those eyes, cold as ice, freezing him and striking fear into his heart. Her nails, digging into his cheek. Her smirk, self-satisfied. That wild gaze, drunk on power. Those claws, in his wounds. Drapion’s claws digging into him, holding him. Her scream. Holding up the aura shield, every time, but at the end, feeling himself fade away, accepting his death. The excruciating pain.

He heaved more, and more, and finally he stopped, but then he was sobbing harder than he ever had, and he could hear the wails he was making, and surely they must have been echoing for miles, and he was sure everyone could hear it, sure that somehow she could hear it. He didn’t care. He wanted to scream. The strength of his sobs made him want to throw up again, but he just coughed and coughed and hacked and hacked until he was choking on nothing but his own anguish. His nails were pulling Pikachu’s fur, so, so tightly, and he heard a cry from his best friend in the entire world who he’d put through so much pain, and he tried to disentangle his hands which were clenched so tightly and instead he dug his nails into his own hands, wishing they were sharper. If they could hurt more, maybe it could distract him from the rest of his pain.

It was _so much,_ and everything was _too much,_ there was too much light, too much noise (his own sobs were too loud for him) and there were _too many people_ with him, and all he wanted was to be alone with Pikachu, or maybe just to disappear altogether, and he wanted nothing more than nothingness, than oblivion, because _that_ would be better than this, but at the same time if his friends ever left him again he didn’t think he’d even survive. And he couldn’t breathe, but he couldn’t do _anything,_ and he felt someone starting to pick him up, and _no,_ he didn’t _want that,_ they were going to take him to the _hospital, and they were going to take away Pikachu, and—!_

He was hyperventilating and there wasn’t enough air, there just wasn’t, he couldn’t breathe at all, his heart hurt, aching like it did so often now, and his throat was closing up, and he couldn’t see anything in his peripheral vision, all he could pick up was a little bit of orange, and green, and whoever was holding him was holding on tight, and then they were counting, he thought, as he heard the rumble of a voice he knew well but couldn’t place, but it felt comfortable, at least, and he just focused on the counting, and they were breathing, too, deep, and he could at least tell that they wanted him to join along, so he tried, he _tried,_ but it was still too fast, but he tried to stop his hiccups and follow the “In, 1, 2, 3, 4, hold, 1, 2, 3, 4, out, 1, 2, 3, 4.” And he couldn’t really get past two without having to breathe in again, but then he could make it til three, and then he could make it til four, and then he was at least a little more okay, and then he realized it was Brock.

He couldn’t see Pikachu, and he looked around, fast, too fast, ignoring the blood rushing around in his head, and he saw him, on Dawn's shoulder walking right next to him, and he reached over, and Pikachu was a little bit more awake now, and he felt Riolu trying to reach out, trying to calm him, and he followed the guidance of the little Pokemon, again breathing, deeper, accepting the trickle of tranquility that was slowly overcoming him, and then he was okay, and he wasn’t okay, but he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have reached the end of this climax! WOW this was a lot to write. There's one chapter left. Thanks y'all to everyone who has read this! I've gotten lots of ideas from people in the comments section over the story, and I've added to it, and anyways please let me know what you think!
> 
> Y'all, Ash FINALLY punched J I am very happy about this development and I hope you are too!


	10. Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the final chapter! hope everything has been wrapped up!

Two double glass doors crashed open, and then there was the familiar scent, now, of a very faint disinfectant, of fast food and grease, of the sweat of traveling trainers. There was a beep, there were calls over the loud speaker, and the recognizable chime that meant Pokemon were ready to be picked up. He couldn’t see all that much, but the lights were bright.

He heard a concerned woman’s voice, and he knew her, and he could see her red hair if he cracked his eyes open ever so slightly. She said his name, he thought, and he heard more people responding. Then they said Pikachu’s name, which was so much more important, because if this was where he thought it was, she was going to _take him away!_ And so he tried to make some noise, forcing his eyes open more, moving as much as he could (man, everything _hurt_ so much!) He saw his little buddy, Pikachu, and he looked so tired, so hurt, and worn out, and even though some faint voice in his mind told him that Pikachu needed healing, he needed to be taken by the woman, he didn’t _care._ He needed Pikachu _more,_ and he was never going to let Pikachu go again, no, he _needed_ him, and if he lost him, he couldn’t!

“Pikachu, no!” came his slurred voice, and he tried to reach out, pushing against the pain and soreness and utter _fatigue_ of his muscles, and why was he so goddamn tired? What happened?

That didn’t matter right now, though, all that mattered was Pikachu, and so he struggled more against the grip of whoever was holding him, and he was reaching, and maybe he was crying, now, and then suddenly someone was holding Pikachu out to his arm and he buried his hands in the matted fur. He immediately relaxed and quieted, motioning and trying to free his other arm so he could hold Pikachu properly. His eyes were still blurry, and still squinty, and so all he could really see was blurred colors outside of the dirtied yellow of Pikachu.

They moved him onto something soft, and then he was sitting on his own, and he could hold Pikachu close to his chest, bury his face in his fur, smell the blood, feel the static electricity, hear his murmurs in his familiar (even if it sounded pained and gravelly) squeaky voice. It was just so purely _Pikachu_ that Ash wanted to cry with relief (he probably was. He couldn’t tell.)

He sat there, not really knowing how long, and he must have missed something, because then he wasn’t in a couch anymore, he was in what looked like a bedroom? Not everyone was there, anymore, and it wasn’t quite so bright, so he could open his eyes a little more. It looked like…Blue Hair and Red Shirt were gone? Someone (Brock, his now slightly more conscious brain could recognize) was with him, on the opposite bed (and this felt much better than the metal slat he slept on before. Wait, when did he…?) and Ash thought that he was looking at him, and he looked…concerned? Sympathetic? Sad? He couldn’t really tell exactly what he was feeling (a far cry from usual, when he felt exactly what everyone was feeling, so oppressive and pressing down on him. It was infectious. Sometimes, it was positive. Other times, it reminded him of all the times he’d drowned.) But from the eyebrows furrowed, it was something like pity.

“…Brock?” The boy opposite him smiled. “Ash, you look a lot better!”

“…Is this the Pokemon Center?” His voice was still a little slurred, and more than a little confused. Everything still felt so out of touch, almost like he wasn’t really there, like he was sleeping? Or…floating? He couldn’t really see all that well and couldn’t feel all that much emotion. Everything was so confusing and he didn’t really remember what had happened, and couldn’t really think in a straight line. All his thoughts were jumping around, like trains stopping and starting, and yet everything felt like he was moving through maple syrup, slow, and soggy, and thick. Everything hurt. It was hard to think of anything beyond himself and Pikachu.

“…Ash, can’t you tell? Do you remember us coming in here? Do you remember anything that happened?”

There was a long silence. He scrunched up his face, trying to think, but he kept losing his train of thought, and then he was staring off into space and then he forgot he was supposed to be thinking of anything. Remember…? Remember what? He was here, and Pikachu was here, and they’d kept trying to take Pikachu away, and everything hurt, and Brock was here. There’d been other people here (his friends?) and now they weren’t. What else…?

A sickening _crunch_ under his clenched fist and then there was so much blood and he _smiled_ —!

…? What? “What am I supposed to remember?”

Oh, man, his head was hurting so much! Where was Riolu? Where was that blue energy that used to be so plentiful in his heart? Where was…?

He looked over and Brock was on his phone, talking. Calling someone, probably, and then Blue Hair and Red Shirt crashed in, and _oh,_ that was Dawn, and that was…? That was Kellyn. They looked worried, probably. For some reason, the sight of Kellyn made him want to cry, and also clench his fists. Was that…anger?

“Ash, are you okay? Brock, you said he can’t remember? Do you think he’s in shock?”

Brock stood up from the bed, heated. He looked angry. “Of _course_ he’s in shock, Kellyn? What else could it be? He’s been so _traumatized_ by what happened, and yet you just _yelled_ at him, and then he shut down, and he’s been like _this_ since then! He needs to go to the _hospital, now!_ That should’ve been the first thing we did! Shock is _dangerous,_ you know!”

No hospital. He _needed_ Pikachu. “No! Wait, I can’t, no! They’ll take Pikachu away, I can’t, I…”

He was so cold. He shivered, hands shaking. His hands were sweaty, and gross, and he buried them even further into Pikachu’s fur. Dawn ran over to him, hugging him, while Kellyn and Brock turned to look at Ash, pausing and faces morphing from anger into sympathy. “Ash, don’t worry, we won’t let them do that, okay? Now just sit here with us, help is gonna be on the way. Brock? Call for help!”

Sooner than he thought, they were helping him into an elevator, and then they were outside, and there was an ambulance? He’d never personally been in one (even though he should’ve, so many times. He’d died, and gotten severely injured before, but he guessed that a legendary Pokemon’s healing was more powerful than any human hospital.) But now, there were shouts, and he was on a bed, and Brock was there, and so was Dawn, and Pikachu was there, too. He thought he heard them asking about family, but then Brock said he was from Kanto, and he’d been a legal adult since he was ten.

They were in a building now, and he'd thought the Pokemon Center was too bright, but this was different. Here, the lights were blinding, the smell of disinfectant was sharp in his nose, and everything was so white and clean. There were lots of people, and even though everything was dulled, and numb, the negative energy, the sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, of this place was enough to override that and drown his aura. It was all too much, but he just clung as tight as he could to Pikachu, and he closed his eyes and inhaled his scent, tried to only focus on the little sparks of electricity he could feel, and promise his buddy that they’d always be together.

He heard protests from hospital workers “This is a _human hospital,_ not for _Pokemon!”_ “Where’s the Pokeball?” and they were trying to _pull_ Pikachu out of his grip, but he held on with _everything he had,_ and he was yelling for them to stop, and he heard Brock yelling, and then he heard Kellyn’s voice, and then they weren’t trying to take away Pikachu anymore, and everything was okay as long as he was with his buddy.

-.-.-

It was so bright in the room. He felt loopy, even loopier than before. His eyes were heavy and burning, trying to close against his efforts to keep them open. His arm was itchy, and cold, and a glance over found a needle in it. His arms felt suffocated, at that glance he found they were both tightly wrapped in bandage. How long had it been…?

Hospital. That’s where he was. _Pikachu!_

He raised his head a little more to find a little yellow ball of fur at his feet, curled up and asleep. He was cleaner, now, and he wasn’t covered in blood. No longer gasping, he looked content. He must have been cared for, by someone. Was Nurse Joy here?

At the sight of his buddy, he relaxed back into the (rather uncomfortable, but it was better than cold metal or the underside of a truck) bed, and tried to remember. Hospital. He was hurt. Pikachu was hurt. The forest had been on fire. Aura. Hunter J, her maniacal face tilted back in laughter, covered in blood, being hauled away, and still looking at him with all that _hunger and menace._ His friends had come to save him. Pikachu had fought tooth and nail as Ash had, for their freedom. He’d punched J.

The battle, up on that ship.

His unbridled anger.

He remembered, now. He didn’t feel loopy anymore, not too much, and he wasn’t hurting all that much anymore (they must have given him painkillers. Must’ve been pretty strong.) There was terror in his heart, but he pushed that down because they’d _won,_ they’d fought so hard and they’d _won,_ and they were okay, and it was over. He was _safe._ There was no reason to feel negatively at all. All he should feel was relief, and happiness (so why was he still so _scared?)_

Looking to the side, he could spot Brock slumped over in a chair. He looked like shit. Ash supposed he must have looked so much worse. He could still remember, after the battle, up on her ship, looking in the mirror and seeing someone he didn’t recognize. He’d recognized the defiance in his eyes, but not the blood, not the bruises, or the dirt, or the exhaustion, or the _brokenness._ That wasn’t Ash. Ash was the charismatic one, who pumped his fist and smiled in the face of danger, in the face of unbeatable opponents. Ash was the confident one, who got everyone else to believe in him, to believe in their Pokemon, and to believe in themselves. Ash was the one who jumped into danger no matter the cost to his own life, who jumped at the chance to help anyone. Ash was the one who never got hurt (not noticeably, anyway.)

Ash was not the one who broke down crying, bleeding, throwing up, and going to the hospital. He was not the one who was _afraid._

And, yet. Hunter J and her maniacal laughter. Hunter J and her predatory gaze. Hunter J and the _power_ she’d had over him. He’d never felt so helpless before.

Ash was the one who rose to the bait when someone yelled at him! He was the one, even though he wasn’t proud of it, who’d had a fistfight with Lucario after he’d accused him of not caring about Pikachu. He wasn’t the one who just sat there, numbly, barely even listening when Kellyn yelled at him. He would’ve fought back! He would have defended his pride, because although he was kind, he was hotheaded and impulsive.

He couldn’t even remember what Kellyn had said, really, just that he was angry, and then Brock had gotten mad at him (something inside Ash’s heart warmed, slightly, at the fact that _Brock,_ ever the stoic and patient one, had gotten angry on Ash’s behalf.) Everything was still a little hazy after that.

Ash coughed dryly, and it turned into a hack, and it was loud enough to disturb Pikachu, who cried out in worry for Ash, which in turn rose Brock. He felt his back being rubbed. “Hey, bud, need some water? It’s been awhile. I’m so glad you’re okay.” He was smiling, a small one (he looked like he was trying to stay composed, but Ash could tell he was slumping with relief.)

He accepted the cup offered to him and tried not to down it too fast. “How long…? What happened?” His friend gave a wry smile. He explained that Ash had gone into shock, after everything that happened, and he hated that Brock kept using the word _trauma,_ because Ash wasn’t _traumatized,_ it wasn’t that bad, he wasn’t that weak. They’d needed to get him into surgery, because his arms were severely injured, and they were infected, and he’d lost too much blood. The people at the hospital couldn’t explain, though, why his heart rate was so slow, slower than he should’ve been able to survive from. No one wanted to tell them about aura. He had burns from the fire, from Pokemon attacks (Brock was really concerned about that one, and Ash knew he’d have to explain.) He was poisoned. He had injuries they weren’t even aware of before (Ash hadn’t been aware of them, either.) He was severely dehydrated, and clearly hadn’t eaten in a long time, and was exhausted.

It’d been almost a day, apparently, since they’d gotten to the hospital, and they hadn’t expected him to wake up so soon. His Pokemon had all been to the Pokemon Center and they were okay.

Ash held Pikachu tight, too tight, and then wondered how he’d been able to stay. No Pokemon allowed. He knew the rules.

“Um, Kellyn kind of threatened them and told them that as a Pokemon Ranger he had the authority to override that rule. He threatened to get Officer Jenny involved.” He chuckled. “I don’t think it was all that legal, really, but I don’t care, and neither did he. We’re not taking Pikachu away from you, buddy.” Brock looked down at the electric mouse in question. “You were really difficult, you know, Pikachu, when we wanted to heal you. Ash was going into surgery anyway, and you needed a whole lot of help too…I know it’s been a lot, for both of you. Ash, you’re going to have to tell us, you know. Maybe not immediately, but they need to know what happened and how to charge J and her lackeys.”

And even though it had never occurred to him to _not_ tell Brock, because Brock had been with him through almost everything, he suddenly really _didn’t_ want to. He didn’t want them to know how weak he’d been, how cruel she’d been. He didn’t need them crowding him and treating him like a piece of glass (he knew they would, because he knew everything was really fucked up, and it was going to sound really bad when he tried to explain it, because the wounds were still so _raw,_ and although he was getting better at lying, he couldn’t lie about this. Not so soon. They’d see right through him.)

His mouth was suddenly very dry, even though he’d just drank water. He held Pikachu, very tight, and tried not to clench his jaw too noticeably. He could tell that Brock noticed anyway, though, from the way his expression and body language changed ever so minutely. Ash looked away. “…I know. I will, just, I- not right now. I can’t…”

Brock’s gaze turned sympathetic. “I know. Ash, that’s okay.”

After a moment of silence, Brock pulled out his phone. “I’m going to let everyone know you’re okay, is that okay?”

He nodded, and after some time (he wasn’t sure how long. It wasn’t easy to judge time in this white, boring room), Dawn came charging in, and then so did Kellyn. She rushed over to him and threw her arms around his shoulders, though in comparison to her Ursaring hugs, he could tell she was being careful around him. Kellyn hung nervously in the corner, a little awkwardly, and Ash caught the irritated glare Brock threw him.

He didn’t want to think about that for the moment, so he buried his face into Dawn’s shoulder and tried not to cling too tightly when she started to pull away (he never thought he’d miss hugs so much.) He glanced at Kellyn, and they made eye contact briefly, before looking away. It was silent. The tension was rising, and Ash could _feel_ the alarm and urgency radiating off of the Pokemon Ranger. He tried to speak first, but found no words came out when he opened his mouth. He turned his head to the side, hands creeping up to fidget at his bandages, and then Kellyn cleared his throat. Ash snapped his head up, but then Kellyn was hesitating again, and by this time Brock looked more angry.

And suddenly “I’m sorry, Ash.”

…What? He’d expected Kellyn to get angry again, but remorse? He’d worked so hard to save Ash, and Ash should be the one apologizing for getting himself into trouble!

More words spilled out. “I’m so sorry. I had no right to be so angry towards you, earlier. Sure, you were stupid for running off” a warning glance from Brock, “ _but,_ you went through _so much,_ and I don’t know how much, and you were hurt so badly, and instead of rushing you to the hospital, trying to comfort you through your tears, I yelled at you and I accused you and I was unkind. I’m so _sorry._ I knew, I knew that you were going to run into danger either way, I knew that from the way you acted when we first saved Riolu, and I guess I was mad at myself for not doing more to protect you, and I took it out on you. It wasn’t right. And Hunter J, she was after _you,_ and she wasn’t going to stop until she got you, anyway, and you still saved Riolu and put yourself in so much danger. You’re so brave, Ash, and though I might call it foolishness, I can’t deny that you probably have enough courage and guts to face off Arceus, or Darkrai, or even Mew, and not even blink.” (And wasn’t it ironic. Ash bit his lip to keep from mentioning that he _had,_ in fact, faced both Darkrai and Mew multiple times without fear, and he was sure he’d meet Arceus. He’d cursed him enough that the god himself was probably going to come chase down Ash just to attack him. He made quick eye contact with Brock and Dawn and it was a silent plea for them not to say anything. They understood.)

Kellyn stopped, seemingly finished, and stood there, not quite satisfied with what he’d had to say. Another minute, and Ash understood the expectant look, then. They were all looking at him that way, and he just knew what they were going to ask. Question was, who would be bold enough to say it?

It took a few tense, silent, moments, before Kellyn shifted again, swallowing and looking off to the side. He was nervous. He hesitated. “…Ash, what _did_ happen there? Officer Jenny told me that as soon as you’re ready, you need to report to the authorities what happened. They need to fill out their reports, and if you tell us first, we might be able to guide them away from asking intrusive questions. Can you…are you ready?”

After a moment, when their gazes went from concerned to alarmed and Brock stood up, Ash realized he was trembling. His eyes were wide. _Could_ he? Could he really? (no.)

He had to anyway, though, and Ash was nothing if not willing to set his own needs aside to help others. This needed to be done, so Ash _would_ do it. He was safe, sure, but he wasn’t quite out of the woods yet. He just needed to do this, and then he could be finally finished. Just this, and then it would be over. (He didn’t want to think about how just around the bend there would be another legendary, another criminal, to fight. There always was. Team Galactic…)

He sucked in a breath, and balled his fists tight, his nails finding the crevices from where he’d driven them in earlier. He let that small pain ground him. He locked his gaze with Pikachu. (It was a lot easier to look at his best friend, who’d gone through it with him, who would never judge him. Who wouldn’t treat Ash like glass, ever, even when he was hurt, because Pikachu knew how strong Ash was.)

He _really_ didn’t want to do this, but he did anyway. He started out with the fight to free Riolu, when Hunter J had controlled Riolu’s aura to hurt Ash, too (and that felt like _so long ago._ Was that really just a couple days? Less?) How much it had _hurt,_ how proud she’d looked, even then. How he’d fought the men, the hordes, the armies of Pokemon, completely surrounded, how terrifying it had been, and brawling with Hunter J, and forcing Pikachu into his ball. (He paused his story to apologize, saying sorry over and over and _over,_ burying his head into Pikachu’s fur and letting tears escape only into the yellow softness.) How he’d woken up, in the cell, and crawled through the vents. The buyer. Her icy voice, the smugness it held when she knew he was there.

Crawling up the side of the plane, and Hyper Beam (he’d forgotten, already, how terrifying that still was to him) and then _falling,_ and then being _caught,_ and the _pain, his arms,_ and all the blood. Spitting in her face. Drapion’s claws, suffocating him, and her nails in his cheeks. Her eyes, cold and calculating, angry, staring into his. How that gaze turned from one of fury into one of desire. The _hunger_ he saw in there. How _predatory_ she was, how she was _toying with him!_ How he’d gotten Pikachu out, then, and fought. His flowery speeches, of believing in each other and his Pokemon (here, his voice had gotten louder, more convicted, as he recited his philosophy, the ideals he held in his heart, that he abided by, that he believed in wholeheartedly. No one seemed to mind.) The battle. His shock, at her aiming her attacks at him. How he’d tried to be cocky. How _angry_ he’d gotten at her, how much he’d wanted to punch her. He’d been outnumbered, and utterly exhausted, even then. How he’d wielded his aura, even with little training, as a shield, and a weapon, his sheer determination overriding any of the usual laws about aura use and limited power reserves. How delighted she’d been, seeing him use his aura.

He told them about how he _had_ lost, too exhausted, but before J could get him, he’d attacked her with aura so strong and bright it knocked her out and almost made him go temporarily blind. He’d found momentary respite, and then the ship had crashed to the ground. How hurt Pikachu had been. When he realized he’d been trapped, tricked, toyed with the entire time! How absolutely goddamn _furious_ he was. How he’d attacked her, wanted to _punch her face in until she couldn’t breathe anymore and all she could feel was blood running down the inside of her throat, choking her_ and how her nose had gone _crunch_ under his fist and his hand had been covered with blood (and right then, he felt so nauseous that he was capable of that much _hate_ and he retched, a little bit, but nothing came up. It took a few minutes to calm himself down enough so that he could speak again.)

How the man had picked him up, and he’d _fought, and fought,_ but it didn’t do any good, and they were going to take him away! How he’d called for Pikachu, but it wasn’t any good, and how he wasn’t going to fucking let them win, not after everything, so some untamed, wild part of him (he didn’t want to think it was anything like Hunter J’s manic desire) was so desperate that he’d shot out his aura in an explosive, booming shockwave that was like _fire,_ burning whoever it touched and just _scorching_ and _charring_ everyone that was within 20 feet of him, and then trying to escape, and trying not to feel guilty but at the same time not caring in the least about the people he could have just _killed_ if he’d had just the _tiniest_ bit less restraint. (Here, again, Ash had to pause and close his eyes, taking shaky breaths in and out and trying not to have a panic attack.)

He told his friends about how he’d ran, and ran, but then J had caught up anyways, and he was so terrified that he’d been frozen, and he’d tried one last time to intimidate her, but she’d just thrown her head back and _laughed,_ like it was the absolute funniest fucking thing she’d ever seen, like she was at some goddamn circus show, like she’d gone absolutely fucking _mad._ And then she’d tried to _burn the forest down,_ just like that, and he tried to fight, but she’d instead focused her attacks on him, again. (Ash’s voice was shaking, now. He’d been getting louder, and louder, more panicked, but now his voice was barely a whisper, trembling so much he could barely be understood.) He’d known that there was absolutely no aura left in him. He’d known that if he tried to push it out anymore, he would die. He’d been ready. (He whispered that part so quietly that they all had to lean in, too close.) But he’d done it anyway, because he was stupidly determined, and it hurt so much. It hurt _so fucking much,_ so much more than all the pain he’d experienced, which was _so much._ He’d fucking died before, and those deaths paled in comparison. And for all that he hated water, now, hated swimming because of how many times he’d drowned, he would have gladly drowned a hundred times more rather than go through that ever again. It was so _excruciating_ that he hadn’t known it was even possible to feel such pain, but he’d grit his teeth anyway, and it had been so _hot,_ and he’d seen her eyes, and he’d known then that she was beyond saving. She was going straight to hell.

And then, as soon as he was fading away, when he knew he didn’t have even 30 seconds left, they’d come. And it was so _awful,_ because he was so exhausted, by then, and his brain had just given out, and given up, and so had his body, and nothing worked anymore, and he couldn’t think, couldn’t feel, could barely see or hear anything, and everything had gone all hazy and everything was hurting so much and he was so nauseous and he honestly had preferred death. He told them that he’d wanted to help, so much, and he was so relieved at seeing his Pokemon, and his friends, but he was still so scared. He told them about when Hunter J had gone to attack him one more time, how she suddenly seemed willing to _die_ just to get her hands on his power, and she was willing to murder a thousand people just to have _Ash,_ and he’d been beyond terrified, and then Kellyn had saved him. He told them how her face, laughing, bloodied, crazy, her body broken and limp as she was dragged away, would stay in his mind forever. It was the only thing he saw when he closed his eyes, now.

The room was silent. It was silent for way too long, and he could _feel_ how goddamn terrified and angry everyone was, but they weren’t saying anything, and Ash wasn’t sure he wanted them to, because now he just wanted to run away from them, because he hadn’t wanted them to know, but he couldn’t do that, because they were too close around him, and the door was sort of blocked, and he was stuck on the bed, and the IV was still in his arm, and he was probably too weak to even stand up. Instead, he just sat there, fists balled so tightly his knuckles were white and his eyes were wide, too wide, unnaturally wide, and staring at the brown stripes on Pikachu’s back but not really seeing anything. He tried to push the thought _rare_ from his mind, but it was still there, even if it was just a whisper, taking over all his other thoughts, and he was so anxious, and he was trying not to have a panic attack, but he was hyperventilating and he couldn’t stop it, and then there were tears, there were tears and he couldn’t stop it, he couldn’t _stop it,_ and he blinked and blinked and willed them away but it didn’t help and they just fell hot and fast down his cheeks, off his face and onto his clenched fists, on Pikachu’s fur, and why weren’t they _saying anything,_ and!

And then they were hugging him, and they were crying too, and if he focused he could make out that they were all apologizing, over and over, and Kellyn looked especially guilty (he didn’t _know_ how much _pain_ Ash had been in. How _could he have yelled?!)_ And Ash was trembling, shaking, and his throat was starting to close up, and Pikachu pawed at him, and he tried to focus on that, on his friends’ warmth, on their tears on his cheeks, on his hair, on his shoulder, and Pikachu’s cries of his name, telling him it was okay, he was safe, it wasn’t his fault, and that Pikachu loved him. He tried to focus on that, and it was hard over the loudness of J’s icy voice in his mind, but eventually he heard Pikachu more than he heard Hunter J, and he could focus on the things he felt in this room, the scratchiness of the sheets, the itchiness of the bandages, the pain medication starting to wear off, and then he wasn’t so scared anymore, and he could breathe again. Long inhale. Long exhale. Safe. Safe. Safesafesafesafesafe. He was _safe._ He was _okay._

Little by little, painfully slowly, he relaxed and let go of Pikachu’s fur and he didn’t want to pull away from his friends, not really, but he did anyway, because they were probably feeling awkward now, because they’d been hugging for a really long time. And then, after a bit longer, he looked and made eye contact with them. Their eyes were kind and forgiving and sympathetic and he tried to ignore the disgust he felt at himself for how much he needed that and instead focused on the warmth that he felt in his own heart at their gazes. But, now. He would need to tell that story again. To more officers.

He didn’t want to, but his friends promised to be by his side. Kellyn stood by Ash when he needed to report his story. They were careful, with only the officers of the highest ranking finding out about Ash’s aura, the rest being told J had just wanted revenge for all the times Ash had foiled her in the past. They couldn’t let the news get out, if that was what had put Ash in danger the first time. He was immensely relieved.

Everything went by in a blur. He was reunited with Riolu, at some point, once he was out of the hospital, because although Kellyn had pulled strings to allow Pikachu in, he couldn’t push it. It was a couple days before Ash was okay enough to be discharged. He still felt weak. He had _two_ arm braces, one for each, and those came off the _second_ he was out of the hospital. He could deal with the pain! He was _fine._

He was, though, mostly. Ash had always been good at compartmentalizing, at pushing things to the back of his mind to be ignored, and moving past everything scary to just focus on being happy and confident (of course, nothing ever really went away. It just surfaced at night, instead. Ash’s nightmares now were filled with her face, and her face morphed into Giovanni’s, into Archie’s, into every criminal he’d faced. Drapion’s attacks morphed into Entei’s, into Dialga’s, and into Mewtwo’s.)

A couple days after he was discharged, and about a week after everything, though, found Riolu wanting Ash to aura train, again, and found his friends excited to see what he could do. He’d found an immense power source within himself, and he’d been able to wield it (even unrefined) with an amount of control astounding for the limited time he’d even been aware of his own life energy. Ash was reluctant. It just felt… _wrong,_ for some reason, but he didn’t know why, and he would’ve said no, but Dawn was looking at him expectantly, and Brock and Kellyn looked interested. He’d be okay with just a little bit, right? It wouldn’t hurt like it did in the forest. Maybe he could just start with an Aura Sphere. That wouldn’t be so bad.

Ash closed his eyes, reaching his hand and his aura out to Riolu and connecting their energies, searching for that calm reservoir inside of the Pokemon and inside himself. He could see in his mind’s eye the calm, glowing blue, could feel it, and he pushed past his trepidation and guided the aura out of his hand, forming it into a sphere, slowly, cautiously. He could, vaguely, feel his friend’s interest peak as he continued to put more power behind it, until it was concentrated enough not to flicker like a candle in the wind. 

He opened his eyes. There it was. Harmless. It wasn’t going to burn him, to burn anyone, like before. It only took a little bit of effort. He was okay.

He stood up. “Wanna play a game of catch, Riolu?”

An excited bark was his answer, and they got into position, and then tossed the flickering blue ball of energy between each other, getting bigger each time. Ash got more confident each time they pushed the ball, and when he was feeling like he wanted to do more, Dawn suggested they spar (carefully, carefully, she emphasized.)

It _sounded_ like a good idea, and Ash started the first move with an Aura Sphere headed straight towards Riolu, this time intended to actually hit him. At the Pokemon’s retaliation, Ash gracefully dodged and ran towards Riolu. As he got close, he summoned a shield, sliding to the side, and smirked a little as he pushed a glowing blue javelin out of his hands. The smirk grew into a smile when he saw the surprised look on Riolu’s face.

Ash grew more creative with his combinations, and they each grew more forceful, when suddenly Ash was no longer there, instead back on the ship with Hunter J ordering her Salamence to launch a Hyper Beam at him as he tried to hold up a shield, sweating and exhausted. Suddenly the Aura Spheres were no longer blue, but purple, and sharp, and each one that hit his skin was like fire, poison entering his bloodstream and making his muscles harder to move. Suddenly Riolu’s red eyes turned into her gray ones, crazy and delighted, sadistic and hungry. He froze. His throat choked up, and he almost fell onto the ground, but then he heard Pikachu call out to him, and he shook his head, and he was back on the battlefield facing off Riolu, and everyone looked concerned, and he launched into another attack. He would _not_ be controlled by Hunter J anymore! She wasn’t there! She didn’t have the power to hurt him any longer! He was strong!

He decided to experiment, making to form a shield, but instead of around himself, he tried to create four to make a sort of cage around Riolu, pushing in and forcing the Pokemon to attack consistently and exhaust himself on defense, while Ash pushed forward with another javelin, ready for when he escaped. It worked, with Riolu panting by the end and narrowly dodging Ash’s offense, but it left Ash even more exhausted, knees buckling and sweating. This time, though, he was safe, and Riolu immediately stopped and rushed to his aid. This time, he felt rewarded. This time, he was _okay._

His friends ran over, gushing about how _cool_ he was, how impressive he was, and how amazing it looked. He smiled at the praise, matching the gazes of his friends. Then. He stood up, taking Kellyn’s outstretched hand, and looked him in the eyes. There was awe in there, but there was something else, too, that Ash couldn’t quite place, but it felt familiar and raised his hackles anyway. Kellyn smiled, a little bit, and stepped forward, and suddenly he was so _tall,_ and Ash felt so _short,_ even though Ash knew so many others were so much taller, but that didn’t matter now. It didn’t matter now, when Kellyn stepped towards him with a certain conviction, his tone odd as he said “Wow, Ash, your aura…it’s _fascinating._ I can’t…”

And before he could say anything else, Ash’s eyes widened and his body felt out of control as he lurched back and shouted “Stop!” 

And everyone, including Ash, was surprised, and Kellyn immediately looked guilty, and Ash tried to apologize, but he’d just seemed so much like _her_ in that moment that Ash had reacted without even thinking. (Maybe, he wasn’t quite as okay as he thought he was.)

He clenched his fists and grit his teeth, for a moment looking like nothing more than a scared little kid, but then he gathered his wits and stepped forward. “…I’m sorry, Kellyn, I didn’t, it’s just, I thought you were _her_ for a second, and I didn’t mean, and, I just, I’m sorry.”

The Pokemon Ranger looked hurt for a second more before resolve came over his features. “No, Ash, _I’m_ sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten so close, and been so interested in your aura, not after you just got away from Hunter J who was hunting you for it. I’ll be more careful. Please forgive me, and please don’t blame yourself. I understand, and _you_ need to understand, that you need time, and that’s alright, okay?”

A pause, and then he nodded. Riolu came running up to Ash, and hugged him tight, and sent him calming waves of energy. Ash looked down, and smiled. “Thanks, Riolu. You know, you’re an awesome Pokemon. I’m proud to call you mine.”

From below, Ash heard a “Pikapi! Pika Pika _chu.”_ and laughed. “Yes, buddy, you too. You’re the best Pokemon ever and I love you more than anything. Don’t get jealous!”

He was okay, Ash decided. Sure, maybe he wasn’t _okay_ okay, and he wasn’t great, but he was okay. He was alright. Life would move forward. He would have his friends. He would have his buddy. And sure, Arceus was sure to throw another criminal gang at him, another rampaging legendary, and he was probably going to die again, and he was going to meet people just like Hunter J, and though that terrified him, he was okay, now. 

Looking around at his friends, joining in on his fond laughter at Pikachu, and he smiled. He was really lucky.

He was going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so we conclude this story. It's crazy how this turned out. I never expected it to be so big, but I think I'm pretty proud of myself. Thank you to everyone who has consistently commented-- you guys really gave me inspiration and motivation to keep this going and it grew to the length it did because of that. I hope that it was enjoyable for you! Please give me feedback!
> 
> This is the end, and I don't plan on making a series for this, or adding anything after. We say goodbye to the characters in this universe. However, even though I don't plan to, something might come out at some point if I feel like it, so you could keep an eye on it just in case!
> 
> Btw, this chapter I definitely drew some inspiration on Ash's recovery from railou's "Together We Are Stronger" which I literally just read the other night and I stayed up until 2 am doing so. It is amazing and I recommend it.
> 
> All that to say, thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me what I can improve on! :)


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